A SOLDIER's Love
by Oblivion's Tragedy
Summary: A young woman comes to Seventh Heaven in the middle of the night needing to speak to Cloud. Who is she? How does she know him? What does she have to do with Sephiroth? And where has she been the past 8 years...?
1. I Let The Games Begin

A young woman, looking about the age of 25, stood outside a dingy bar. The street was deserted save for a few orphan children that hardly paid her a glance. Her long black leather coat swayed around her ankles in the light breeze as well as her hair. A faint smile graced her lips as she remembered the person who gave her the coat. It stretched long, down to her ankles, the body hugged her torso and the sleeves to her wrists, her hands were also encased in leather gloves that protected her long slim and pale fingers. Her hair, a deep midnight black, fell to just below her shoulders and she reached up to brush away a strand that tickled her cheek. Her unseeing eyes fell again on the door of the bar when a man, obviously drunk, stumbled out onto the street. Seeing her, he giggled happily then swayed as he walked and sang horribly down the sidewalk.

A faint smirk came to her lips and she took a step to the door just as she heard the lock click. She stared at the sign above for a moment, _Seventh Heaven,_ and lifted a hand to knock firmly a few times on the hard wood. A reply came almost instantly.

"We're closed for the night," said a feminine voice from the other side. From the sounds of it, Tifa, the owner of the bar, was just on the other side of the threshold, most likely annoyed at the presence of a late night costumer. The woman smirked again and raised her hand to knock again just as she heard footsteps move away from the door. She couldn't deny that she found a bit of amusement in irritating the girl.

She heard a huff from the other side and the lock click. Her posture, if possible, straightened as the door flung open and the other raven-haired woman appeared, a look of pure annoyance on her face. As soon as the woman caught sight of her, though, a look of shock replaced it. The woman outside grinned slightly at the expression.

"Hello, Tifa. Is now a bad time?" Her voice was as smooth and soft as running water and she tilted her head to the side curiously, her grin never faltering.

Tifa's mouth flapped open and closed in disbelief as her eyes scanned the woman from top to bottom. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously, finally. The woman merely smiled and crossed her slender arms before her chest.

"I would like to speak to Cloud, if he's home," she said, ignoring her questions. Annoyed, Tifa narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak again when a man with blonde spiked hair appeared behind her several feet away.

"Tifa, what is it?" he asked. Tifa turned to look at him then back at the woman outside whose smile turned back into an easy grin. She huffed and stepped aside to let Cloud see the person at the door. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and came to the door, his eyes never leaving Tifa as he approached.

"Apparently, she wants to talk to you," she explained and Cloud finally let his gaze wander to the stranger. He paused in confusion and let his eyes wander over her before he froze, his gaze suddenly glued to her face in shock. His lips parted in astonishment and her grin widened.

"Hello, Cloud. Long time no see." She inclined her head in greeting her arms uncrossing to hang lazily at her sides. "How long has it been? Eight years?"

"Lunara…?" he breathed. Tifa looked between the two in confusion and frowned as the woman, now known as Lunara, chuckled softly.

"Yes. Didn't think you'd see me again did you?"

"You're supposed to be dead," he replied softly, his eyes still transfixed on the woman before him.

Ignoring him, she tilted her head to the side. "Are you going to be rude and stare at me all night or are you going to invite me in? And you should know better than anyone that the dead aren't always dead."

Cloud paused. He wasn't sure if he could trust his old friend and comrade, after all that had happened. After everything with Sephiroth… After everything he now knew. But the woman smiled, she showed no signs of being a threat to him or anyone else, so after a few moments of silence he nodded to her and moved to the side to allow her in. She passed the two with a smile and a 'thank you' then gracefully slid into a seat at one of the tables after removing her sword from her back and onto the table. Cloud shut and locked the door softly, his eyes glued to her, but Tifa stopped him by placing a hand to his chest before he could follow Lunara.

"Cloud, who is she?" she whispered quietly and the ex-SOLDIER turned his gaze to his childhood friend.

"Someone I used to know," he replied just as quietly. From the table they heard Lunara let out a short laugh.

"Come now, you two. Just because you're whispering it doesn't mean I can't hear you. And Cloud, you hurt my feelings to say such things. I haven't changed, so you still know me," she said while leaning back against the hard chair comfortably. The two at the door became silent and after a glance at one another, made their way to the table Lunara sat at. An awkward silence filled the room where the two AVALANCH members stared at the woman. They couldn't know if Lunara was actually looking at them due to the black blindfold covering her eyes, but guessed she was by the angle of her head and the ever-present grin upon her lips.

Finally, Cloud cleared his throat. "What happened to your eyes?" he asked. Her grin faltered slightly to a soft smile and she shrugged nonchalantly.

"A casualty of my fight for freedom from Shinra. I lost my sight, but luckily I am able to see perfectly with certain help, even with obstructions and a few differences," she said vaguely as she tapped the side of her face where the blindfold rested. "Hence, the blindfold."

Cloud nodded and watched her some more. When she made no indications of speaking he tried again. "What are you doing here?"

"I dropped by for a visit. Isn't it obvious?"

His eyes narrowed. "A person believed to be dead doesn't just 'drop by for a visit', Lunara."

The woman sighed and straightened as she rested her forearms on the table and brushed the blade of her sword with her fingertips. "You're right, Cloud. I always forget that you aren't as easy to fool as Zack was," she said sadly though tried to put in a hint of humor.

The man and woman across from her tensed at the name. "Zack's dead," Cloud said sharply, but lowly.

Another sigh escaped her. "I know." She bit her lip and lowered her head for a moment before lifting it to face them again. "I'm here on a personal matter. I'm sure that now you know that I'm alive, you have some questions." She tilted her head slightly, the feeling of her invisible gaze boring into him.

"Where have you been?"

"Before we get to that I have to tell you the whole story. The truth," she said slowly. "I warn you this may take some time."

"The whole story…" he mused quietly, ignoring her last statement. He nodded. "I'd like to hear it. My memory is vague, but I'd like to hear your side of it."

Lunara chuckled. "You're in luck, because I remember everything, but this is my story. The way my life was before everything happened, during and up to this moment. You're bound to find a few shocks."

Cloud nodded again. "I'd still like to hear it."

"Good," she grinned. "It all started on my first day at SOLDIER…"

Lunara stood at the age of fifteen in the training room with Professor Hojo. It was empty of life besides the two and the President and his son who stood not too far away examining her. Rufus had to be around sixteen or seventeen about that time, but already he had the attitude of a pampered spoiled brat. Every few moments he lifted a hand to brush a stray hair out of his face in a smug manner as he eyed the girl up and down who had no expression and showed no signs of being nervous in front of one of the most powerful men in the world. Back then she still had her sight and her unnaturally mako infused eyes shone in the small dim light of the training room. Her back was straight and tense as she knew what the professor was asking of the President.

"So, you want this… this _girl_ to join SOLDIER?" the fat balding man asked with a small sneer as he too examined the girl. She didn't look like much with a slight athletic build and a little too muscular arms, not to mention her chest that would make a wall jealous.

"Yes. She has shown great skills in the arts over the years and I wish to see how my dear girl would handle SOLDIER," the professor replied with a small smile as he patted the girl's shoulder.

No, the scientist was not her father, heaven forbid if he was, the monster. For as long as she could remember she had seen no more than three rooms until this very day. Her room, the lab and the makeshift training room in the basement. Yes, she was an experiment, though she didn't know why and she didn't question it. All she knew was that growing up, Gast and Hojo, who was his assistant until Gast's death, used to tell her that she was special and that they needed to run tests on her frequently so that they would be able to help other special people like her. At such a young and naïve age, she didn't question his word, but even now that she was slightly older she didn't really care to know.

Again, the President looked her over before nodding. "Alright. She starts in the morning with the new recruits. Rufus, take the cadet to her room," he huffed then waddled away with the scientist, leaving the two teenagers behind.

Rufus looked her over in much the same manner his father had before turning on his heal and striding towards the SOLDIER's quarters. Obediently, Lunara followed. She hated to feel like some pet chasing it's master, but she didn't know where to find anything and Rufus, no matter how annoyingly snobbish he was, was her only guide.

Reaching the quarters Rufus led her through the halls before standing beside a door in a more lavish part of the building. He grinned to her after glancing at the door. "This will be your new roommate since there are no other rooms available at the moment and we're not about to give you special treatment just because you're a girl," he said.

"I wouldn't expect you to," she replied.

"Excellent," he grinned then knocked on the door loudly. After a few moments the door opened slowly to reveal a young man only a few years older than themselves. He was tall, already passed the 6 foot area, and had long silver hair that reached down to his knees with bangs that spiked then gracefully fell about his face. His expression was calm though a tinge of annoyance flickered in his glistening green eyes as he spotted Rufus then changed to slight curiosity as he saw Lunara beside him.

"What is it?" he asked slowly, his voice deep and rumbling yet calm and controlled. Lunara was certain that were it any other female at his door she would swoon at the beauty of this man.

"Sephiroth, this is your new roommate, Lunara. Your room is the only one left with extra space. Please don't scare this one off, we have nowhere else to put her," the boy chuckled and stepped away from the door when the man, Sephiroth, raised a silver brow.

"Don't worry. I don't scare that easily," she said, turning her head to look at Rufus with a small smile. The boy arched his brows disbelievingly, but nodded as he turned to go back down the hall.

"Right. Have fun, you two," he laughed and continued down the hall then turned the corner. Lunara raised a delicate brow then turned back to Sephiroth whose gaze had now turned to her curiously.

After a few moments of silence she tilted her head to the side and blinked in a manner that some would consider 'cute', but was merely questioning. "So, are you going to let me in or am I going to have to sleep in the hallway?" she asked. The man in front of her grunted slightly before moving to the side to allow her in. She strode in with her bag in tow and tossed it in an empty corner before sitting in a chair in the same corner.

"Don't expect a warm welcome from me, girl. I don't speak much and I certainly don't want to take a picture with you," he said lowly as if he'd said it plenty of times with the exact opposite happening. Lunara merely shrugged her shoulders and propped her legs up using her bag as a footrest.

"Right now, you seem to be the more talkative one and since we'll be roommates, the least you can do is remember my name," she replied calmly while carefully slipping her coat off and resting it on the back of the chair revealing a leather tank top that cut off above her belly button. She leaned back lazily and examined the room that was practically bare save for the bunk bed in one corner and two dressers in another. A desk sat with another chair in the last corner that was covered in papers and the chair was pushed out as if that's where the SOLDIER had been sitting before the intrusion.

Sephiroth grunted again slightly and moved to that very desk to complete his paperwork in silence while Lunara stayed silent in the corner. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the night, but both turned into bed when the call for curfew came, Lunara's bag left still packed in the corner.

"He was merely a first class SOLDIER back then. He hadn't been promoted to General yet," Lunara said while brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "He didn't have his own penthouse or quarters, so he had to bunk with whoever put up with him, which weren't that many. In fact I was the only one that lasted longer than a few months, but by the time I made it into first class he had been promoted and moved out. We had established a sort of friendship by then and he had even introduced me to a few of his other first class friends, Angeal and Genesis. They took to me quite well and the four of us became almost inseparable."

"Wait, everyone believed you were a male, last I remember. How did you make it through SOLDIER?" asked Cloud suddenly. Lunara smiled.

"Ah, yes, Zack told you about that, did he? Well, I'll get to that in a moment, just be patient, Cloud. I told you this would be a long story," she chuckled and the blonde nodded while the other woman blinked curiously.

"Why would everyone think you're a man?"

"Again, I'll get to that soon enough," replied the blind woman.

"Listen up, Noobies. I am not here to be your friend. I am not here to be nice to you. And I sure as hell am not here to listen to you whine and complain," started Genesis as he smirked at all the new recruits. Some were sweating nervously already, others shaking, but Lunara stayed straight and calm at the end of the line while the redheaded SOLDIER barked at them. The man, Genesis, was to be the beginning instructor until farther notice and it seemed he liked making them quiver in their SOLDIER uniforms.

"Now, are you ready for the hardest training you'll ever get?" he roared. Shy murmurs answered him back. He didn't like that too much. "I said, are you ready for the hardest training you'll ever get?"

The answer this time was immediate. "Yes, sir!"

"Good," he grinned and waved his arm in the direction of the obstacle course set up. "You have ten minutes starting… now."

Instantly, the recruits shot off in a group of bumbling idiots, but the one from the end of the line beat them all to the punch. Lunara sped past her soon-to-be comrades and climbed the web made of rope with ease while the others struggled. She leaped from post to post gracefully and swung from ropes like a natural. She climbed the wall without a sweat and jumped the makeshift pond that had to be at least ten feet long without the help of the rope hanging overhead. Hurtling obstructions she dodged cages of rabid fiends and dove under swinging logs while the men behind her were beaten, bruised and left unconscious. At the end there was a surprise attack by Angeal, a large muscled man with short black spiked hair. They were expected to dodge the attack, but Lunara bent forward onto her hands and caught the large buster sword he used between her feet.

In a slight shock, Angeal loosened his grip on the handle, allowing her to fling it from his grasp and do a back flip to stand upright again. Then without warning they attacked each other in a series of flying fists and kicks. Angeal, realizing that this recruit had a bit more experience, upped his game until he gained the upper hand, but not without a few surprises by the young recruit. By then, Lunara finally got a good punch to his ribs and followed it with a kick, sending him stumbling back.

She got into another stance, expecting the first class SOLDIER to attack her again, but he merely straightened with a smile and clapped his hands. "Well done, cadet. You're fit for SOLDIER, that's for sure," he praised. Realizing he wasn't about to attack, she straightened and stood at attention as Genesis approached with a smile.

"You cleared that obstacle in less than five minutes, cadet. No one has been able to do that since Angeal, Sephiroth and myself joined the ranks. What's your name, kid?" he asked.

"Lunara, sir," she replied and she noticed the shock pass over the two SOLDIER's faces as they looked to each other. She fought to hold her grin of satisfaction when they both leaned to the side to look past her to find all the other recruits fallen on the floor unconscious from one obstacle or another.

"A girl?" mused Genesis then nodded and made a face of approval. "Never would have thought it." He looked back to Lunara with a smile. "Well done. But I think we should keep the female thing to us. I don't think those guys would be very happy to see a girl beat them at what's supposed to be their game." He chuckled good naturedly and she saw Angeal twitch his lips into a slight smile as well.

"Whatever you think best, sir," she responded with a shrug.

"Great! Then from now on, you're cadet Lu. I think we'll get along just fine." His grin spread and he laughed again before he and Angeal ordered her to do it again.

"That was the first time I met them, but after that first class I only saw them in the hallways with Sephiroth and they always left when visiting our room before I came back from training. It wasn't until I was in second class and Sephiroth and I became friends did he reintroduce us. That reunion was an entertaining one."

"So, that's how you got the reputation as a man," Cloud concluded. Lunara nodded with a fond smile at the memory.

"Yes. Genesis wasn't a caring man. In fact he'd rather burn his _Loveless_ book than train new recruits, but that day he saw something in me that he liked. I guess he didn't want me to be hated and actually make it to where I eventually did."

Cloud nodded again. "Please, continue."

She nodded and continued with her story.


	2. II A Long Wait Rewarded

To Lunara training was easy, a fun little hobby during the day and the missions, just the reward. She was sixteen by the time she made it into second class and was well on her way into first. She only knew a handful of men from her first months of training actually making it into second class, but only barely. She had breezed through the tests with hardly a sweat, but she was nowhere near as good as her roommate.

Sephiroth, her silent companion, had actually grown fond of the girl he bunked with. Enough to actually initiate conversations and go training at least once a day with her. She had laughingly informed him of the fact that all the other recruits and some of the instructors thought her to be a young boy with talent and even the stony expression he always wore cracked to let out an amused chuckle. She had prided herself on the fact that she could break through his exterior with a simple fact.

It was one day that they were in the training room with only a few other cadets present that they sat talking and observing others after a long sparring session. She propped one leg up on her seat on one of the high beams of the obstacle course and rested her arm across it lazily. Her lean frame was slowly starting to fill out with age, she even had breasts. Small ones, but they were there. She worried that with them she was to be spotted as a girl finally, but it didn't really matter when her armor hid them well. She was also lucky that many men weren't very bright and only thought her to be a young man not yet hitting puberty.

"Lunara," Sephiroth suddenly spoke and her attention was dragged from a struggling man on the ropes to her friend. She made a sound of acknowledgment and tilted her head. "Do you have bad eyesight?"

She blinked curiously at the man that had to almost be 4 years older. "Why do you ask?"

He turned his head in her direction to look into eyes that matched his. His hair fell gracefully down his back and his long bangs brushed his cheek as he moved. "I was curious. I saw a glasses case on the desk this morning that clearly isn't mine."

She stared at him for a moment before answering him. "Sort of. I'm farsighted and need glasses to see things close to me, but it's not that bad."

He arched a brow. "Then how can you fight so well at close range?"

"Practice and instinct. I can see well enough to know how and when I'm going to be attacked, but reading is a pain in the ass," she said, sighing at the last part. She saw a small smile twitch on his face, but as soon as she spotted it, it was gone just as quickly.

They sat in silence once more, liking the sound of metal crashing against metal and smirking at the curses coming from SOLDIERS that fell from one attack or another. Eventually, she yawned in boredom and stood from sitting on the beam to standing on it. Sephiroth looked to her as she did and she smiled warmly.

"So, a few more rounds before we hit the hay?" she inquired. Sephiroth chuckled at her tenacity to fight not for winning, but to harness her skills. He was about to agree when he suddenly remembered that he was to meet Genesis and Angeal for dinner and looked to the clock at the far end of the room to find that was to occur in less than a half hour. When voicing this and his apology her face fell slightly, but was quickly covered with a smile.

"That's alright. I can just train with one of the other guys," she shrugged, but a tinge to her tone voiced the disappointment in her. For some reason or another he felt guilty for turning her down and suddenly got an idea.

"Why don't you come with me?" he asked and stood as well. She looked at him in shock for a few moments not sure if he was joking or not, but that couldn't be. Sephiroth never joked. He was clean cut and straight to the point. When he said something, it had a purpose and even then he didn't say much.

"I wouldn't want to intrude on you and your friends," she said modestly when on the inside she was wanting to jump at the chance to see Genesis and Angeal again. She thought they got along quite well the day of her first training session, but never got another chance to say hello. She didn't want to embarrass them either with a young second class SOLDIER saying hello to them in the hallways. They probably didn't even remember her.

The older man shrugged and leaped from his own perch to the ground, quickly followed by his roommate. "It doesn't matter to me. Come if you like. I'm sure Genesis would like to have you around. You two seem like you'd get along and that would get him off my back," he said with a soft smile that had Lunara laughing slightly as she caught up with his long strides.

"Alright, but If I feel I'm intruding in any way, I'll leave and won't bother you guys," she laughed as they started back to their room. Upon reaching it Lunara used the bathroom to change into a pair of black pants and her favorite leather tank top. She didn't bother with her hair or any makeup, because she thought all that was just ridiculous. She only changed because she wanted to wear something more comfortable than her mandatory uniform.

They made it to the cafeteria at exactly seven o'clock, the time Sephiroth was to meet his friends and found the two first class SOLDIERS at a table in the far corner involved in a heated discussion. Lunara raised a brow at this as she and Sephiroth took their seats across from them. She looked to the silver haired man for an explanation, but Sephiroth merely sighed and sat quietly in his seat, waiting for his friends to stop bickering before he could introduce his roommate.

"There is no way, _no way_, that spaghetti is better than fettuccini. It's just not right," complained Genesis as he crossed his arms over his lean chest defiantly. His handsome features where twisted into a joking sneer as he stared boldly into the larger man's eyes.

"It is to me. You know I don't like creamy pasta," replied the other man calmly, but his expression turned into something that someone would wear when they knew they had just said the wrong thing.

Beside him, Genesis grinned cheekily. "Bad experience with creamy noodles, Angeal?" he joked with a laugh and Angeal groaned in annoyance, finally turning to Sephiroth with a begging look.

"Please, Sephiroth, help me out here," he pleaded as Genesis patted his back and said something about 'coming out of the closet'.

Without distracting himself from smoothing the imaginary wrinkles and wiping flecks of dust from his leather coat, Sephiroth didn't look up at either of them. "Genesis, Angeal is not homosexual. End of discussion," he stated as if he'd repeated it more than once. He looked up to his friends who he found staring shamelessly at his roommate who didn't even shift nervously under their gazes, but merely smiled politely.

His gaze shifted between them for a few moments before he spoke. "Angeal, Genesis, this is my roommate, Lunara." Their reactions came at the same time, both gazes flickering to the silver haired man.

"Roommate?" asked Angeal with a brow raised.

"Her?" said Genesis, pointing a finger at the raven haired girl across from them not caring that it was rude.

Sephiroth nodded emotionlessly. "Yes. I invited her to dine with us. Is that a problem?" His tone left no room for argument, but that didn't mean Genesis couldn't stay on the subject.

"Since when did you start bringing girls to the table?" He inquired with a smirk and his eyes wandered back to the teenager sitting next to his friend. She was hiding a smile and a snicker behind her palm as she watched the interaction. Never before had she seen Sephiroth like this. Yes, he was always cool, calm and collected, but it just seemed different when his friends were around.

"That's none of your concern," he replied coldly with a stare that dared Genesis to counter him. The redhead only chuckled and didn't say anything more. Next to him, Angeal was staring at her curiously as if he recognized her, but Sephiroth spoke again. "She's a friend and after our spar in the training room I thought I'd bring her with me rather than leave her to train with someone not even close to her skill."

At that Lunara had to raise a brow. He was complimenting her? Of course, he had complimented her skills in the past, but never in front of another person. She supposed he didn't want anyone to know that he thought of her in a friendly way and not a business-like way lest he get any other recruits hopes up.

"Wait. Genesis, we know her. What's you're name again?" Angeal asked narrowing his eyes slightly as he examined her. Genesis too looked back at her and looked her over with his own mako eyes.

"Lunara," she replied and grinned slightly when Genesis snapped his red leather clad fingers and pointed at her yet again. From the corner of her eye she saw Sephiroth slowly raise a silver brow.

"Cadet Lu!" he shouted in excitement and a wide grin spread across his lips. Angeal too, smiled and nodded. Other cadets and officials in the cafeteria looked in their direction, but dismissed it as they did not want to know what Genesis was really shouting about.

"It's second class SOLDIER Lu now," she laughed and Genesis' smile grew as well as Angeal's.

"Second class? Well done. After that first day of training we knew you were going to do well," the boulder of a man complimented. With a gracious nod and a 'thank you', Lunara grinned. So they did remember her after all.

"Lu, Lu, Lu," Genesis sighed as if he were proud of a great work of art he created in front of him. "How are you? We haven't seen you in months."

"Wait, you know each other?" Sephiroth suddenly cut in, his expression passive, but his tone questioning.

Next to him Lunara nodded. "Hardly. We met the first day of my training when they were to instruct our class until our actual instructor came back. It was Genesis who actually suggested that I should be known as a boy so as to not burst the other men's egos by being beaten by a girl," she laughed and Genesis nodded excitedly.

"I remember that. You finished the obstacle in less than five minutes leaving the other guys in the dust unconscious. Yeah, that was a good day," he chuckled and stared at the roof as if picturing the moments over again in his head. Lunara grinned and laughed slightly when the SOLDIER came back down to earth. They spent the next hour and a half talking. Angeal and Genesis were curious as to how her training was going and when they were to expect her into first class.

"I was accepted into first class not five months later. At the same time Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal were promoted, each getting their own quarters high in the Shinra building, but it was Sephiroth that was given the title of General," Lunara explained and watched as both Tifa and Cloud nodded.

They seemed enraptured in the story, as she knew they would be and grinned when Tifa suddenly straightened from leaning on the table. "So, you became friends. They were promoted and you got into first class. What happened then?" she asked. Lunara chuckled at how eager the young woman was.

"We stayed in contact. They visited me when we didn't have missions or weren't training new recruits. By the age of 18 I was a well respected SOLDIER and given the job of being a training tutor for anyone who wanted it as well as Sephiroth's assistant to sign documents while he was away at the war. I was given my own place in my own wing near my friends, so we visited often," Lunara replied. "It was that year that Angeal spoke nonstop about this SOLDIER he was mentoring. He had introduced him to the others but I was always too busy to really find out who he was. That was the year I met Zack and everything started to go wrong."

"Lunara, this is Zack Fair. He's the one I've been mentoring for that passed while," said Angeal. She was working late, again, at the desk assigned to her outside of Sephiroth's quarters. She looked up over her black rimmed glasses as the two men approached and smiled when she saw them. Standing while taking off her glasses she set them down and smoothed the pencil skirt she wore. Coming around her desk she gave the large man a hug before turning to Zack with a warm smile and a hand held out to shake. The spiky haired man smiled back and shook her hand enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you," he said politely and Lunara nodded as they released hands.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Zack," she responded kindly then narrowed her eyes slightly to look him over. "We've met before, I believe."

"Really?" the youth asked.

"Actually it's not that surprising," Angeal cut in with a smirk. "Lunara, here, is the SOLDIER that's always in the training room for extra help. No doubt you've seen her. You spend more time there than what you should use to fill out your reports."

Zack grinned cheekily at the comment while Lunara snapped her fingers and wagged her pointer in his direction. "Yes, that's right. I've trained with you on countless occasions," she grinned. Zack Fair, the ambitious and almost ADHD SOLDIER with too much excitement to contain. She chuckled at a few memories of her and Zack sparring. He was good, but still not good enough to knock her sword away.

"Wait, _you're_ first class SOLDIER Lu?" asked Zack, his eyes suddenly wide in astonishment. She nodded and the young man blinked. "Wow, never thought it would be a girl to kick my ass." His mumble was answered with two sets of laughter.

"Lunara has been in SOLDIER for three years. A while ago, she was accepted and quickly made it through the ranks. Now, she's the extra trainer and Sephiroth's assistant," Angeal explained fondly. Lunara smiled at him. He was like the big brother she never had. With him, she could say anything and not be judged. Genesis was always the one to jump to conclusions, but he was still a good friend to discuss books with and Sephiroth…

Sephiroth had become something a little more than a friend in the past few months. They had deep discussions that included the war, politics and sometimes just life in general. They stayed up late talking on the phone when he was available using the excuse that there were too many documents to get his permission to sign when in reality she was the one he confided in about his frustrations and he was the one that calmed her when stressed. His deep baritone always set her nerves at ease and she suspected her own voice did the same to him. Luckily, the war was ending soon and he would be back to take some of the tensions off her shoulders.

"Wow. Just… wow," Zack said and Lunara laughed.

"It's ok, Zack. I don't correct people when they think I'm a man in that uniform. It's a lot easier on me and them, not to mention I'd probably be out of a job when I stop having people come to me for help," she chuckled.

"But you'll always be Sephiroth's assistant. That has to pay pretty well," suggested Angeal and she shrugged with a smile that she hoped hid her slight blush.

"It has its perks," she agreed.

Angeal smirked. Lunara had the feeling that Angeal had an idea that something was going on between her and Sephiroth, but neither of them voiced it because it wasn't a big deal. Maybe, just maybe, she could finally crack the rest of the way through his hard exterior and warm his frozen heart. It was nigh impossible, she believed, but it was still worth a shot.

"Anyway, we have to get going. There's a meeting that we're to attend," explained Angeal and he leaned forward pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as she did the same to him. "We'll see you later."

"Bye, boys," she called as they left and waved.

A month later Sephiroth returned from Wutai for a short one week break. When receiving the news, Lunara had to smile because it was nearing her anniversary of when she first joined SOLDIER. She considered that her birth date as she had no real idea when her birthday was. It would be her nineteenth year, she believed, and Sephiroth returning was the perfect birthday present.

As she shut down her computer and locked her desk drawers she hummed a light tune under breath. She wasn't sure exactly what time Sephiroth would be back, but as it was nearing nine o'clock she decided that she had waited enough and that she should pack up and go home. She was slightly disappointed that she couldn't see him before going to bed, but he was probably tired anyway and not up for a chat. As soon as the light of her computer shut off, she continued to hum as she straightened and headed to the door, her head bowed to look for the right key to lock up with.

Just as she reached the door and found the key she noticed the door was open and a pair of boots stood at the threshold. She tilted her head slightly in confusion. Surely she wouldn't have left the door ajar, but she failed to hear it open either. Slowly, her gaze drew up, scanning the long leather coat, pants and shirt that opened to reveal a lean pale chest. On the shoulders of this person rested metal plates and beyond them, a neck that held the head of a certain Shinra General.

Sephiroth smirked slightly at seeing her shocked gaze, his emerald eyes almost seeming to shine in the dim light of the room. Lunara blinked a couple of times as they just stared at each other, but finally she opened her mouth to speak.

"You're back," she said. Instantly she wanted to slap herself for saying something so ridiculous, but the SOLDIER's smirk only widened.

"I'm aware of that," he nodded, his silver bangs only briefly shielding his glorious eyes.

"Right," she laughed then nervously scratched the back of her neck. Funny, how she could be so calm in battle and in front of important people, yet almost melt into a puddle in front of a man she's known for years. She coughed slightly to gather her bearings. "Well, I was just locking up to go home."

Sephiroth didn't respond for a long moment as he stepped the rest of the way into the room and shut the door. Lunara raised a brow at this. He approached her slowly and she felt tingles rise from her toes to her head with the look he was giving her. Could that be... caring? No, Sephiroth didn't care for anyone, only tolerated and talked with. When he was standing mere inches from her he lifted a leather clad hand to brush a strand of black hair from her face before tucking it behind her ear.

His smirk turned into a fond smile as his eyes scanned her face. "I would be lying to say that I did not miss you, Luna," he said softly and she thought she was about to drop to her knees. Luna; he had never called her that before, only the others did. His hand traveled to rest under her chin and lifted it slightly as he began to lean closer to her.

Instantly she knew what was about to transpire and felt the heat rise to her cheeks as their lips met in a sweet and soft kiss. Both closed their eyes to revel in the feeling and Lunara didn't bother to fight the urge to lift her hand and place it on his shoulder. Moments later they parted to stare at each other, lust suddenly reflecting in their eyes.

It was hardly a second later that they crashed their lips together again in a heated kiss that sent waves of pleasure down Lunara's spine. His hands came to clamp firmly on her waist as hers buried themselves in his long silken hair. It was no surprise that in the next minutes they found themselves with no clothing and tangled together on her desk that was now clear of papers. He nibbled and sucked at her neck while her hands roamed lovingly down his torso to his-

"Stop right there. I don't want to hear about him making love to you," Tifa suddenly cut in. The two AVALANCHE members across from her held similar deep blushes that made the older woman grin. She had no qualms about describing her first time with the SOLDIER, but if it made them that uncomfortable she would say no more.

"Very well, but just for the record, he was a _fantastic_ lover," she chuckled and the two's faces twisted into something similar to disgust. She couldn't help but laugh again at the expression.


	3. III The End Of Tales

The next morning she lay in Sephiroth's arms comfortably. Somehow they had stayed up the whole night and had eventually made it back to his room where as the sun rose outside his window and spilled its glorious light upon the lovers in the bed. Lunara was curled against his side drawing lazy patterns on his hard lean chest as he had an arm around her and was twisting her already messed hair into a tangled disarray. That was the first time she had ever had sex and goddamn, it was amazing. He was perfect in every way. Strong, silent and a complete gentleman, she couldn't have asked for a better first lover.

Sighing happily she rested her head against his chest and kissed his nipple softly, smiling when he let out an amused chuckle. This wasn't love, but she knew for sure that she held a strong attraction to the General and him for her. She also hoped that there would be many more nights like this to come because at this moment she couldn't picture herself lying with any other man.

"Was that to your satisfaction, Ara?" he asked smoothly and brushed the hair out of her eyes as she tilted her head to look at him with a smile.

"Very much so," she replied and saw a similar smile to her own spread on his lips. She shifted to move higher and gave him a soft kiss on his lips to which he readily responded to. "I hope it was to yours," she added after they had parted and he let out another sultry chuckle.

"Indeed it was," he said and they kissed again.

Lunara sighed happily at the memory then sipped at the coffee Tifa had brought all of them. The older woman had insisted that they head in for the night and that she would continue her story in the morning, but both had refused. With a shrug she didn't press the matter and sat with her coffee comfortably.

"After that morning, things started to go pretty well. We'd sneak in little kisses throughout the day and I'd sneak out of my quarters every night of that week into his and we'd spend hours rolling around in the sheets and various other areas of his home," she said and at the uncomfortable looks the other two had she decided to not elaborate with a grin. "Sephiroth went back to the war a little too quickly for my liking." A sad frown came to her lips then. "It was nearing the end of the war when both Zack and Angeal were shipped out. I was almost twenty when I heard the news…"

"Hey, Lunara, have you heard yet?" asked Reno as he approached her desk one day in the morning. She looked up from her screen to the red headed Turk and raised a delicate brow.

"Have I heard what?" she responded.

"Angeal and Genesis have been labeled as MIA," he said and set a folder on her desk that read 'IMPORTANT'. She blinked and stared at the manila folder as if not really seeing it as she felt her heart sink. Two of her best friends were missing; great SOLDIERS like them didn't just _go missing_. There had to be something more to it than just a disappearance. Picking up the folder she stared at it, not even bothering to open it.

"Lunara?" asked Reno, shaking her out of her thoughts. Her head snapped up to look at the young Turk and she smiled warmly, a smile that was utterly fake.

"Thank you, Reno. I'll get it into Sephiroth's documents right away," she said softly. Believing her fake smile Reno grinned and walked off back to work a few floors below, his untucked shirt and blazer billowing slightly as he did. As soon as the door to the elevator was closed she slowly pried the folder open and read the documents twice before filing them into the computer archives. Basically the documents read that the two first class SOLDIERs went missing a week or two before and that no one had been able to guess where they might be. She hoped to whatever higher power there was that someone would find them unharmed.

"It wasn't long after that that word spread among us that my two dear friends had betrayed Shinra. I didn't know the whole story at the time, but all I knew was that they loved their jobs and that it had to be something terrible for them to go against everything they've ever known. The war was over, my brother was a traitor and my lover was returning to my arms. I didn't know what to feel; happy or sad. When Sephiroth came back he refused to talk about it. Zack was confused about the encounter he had with Genesis in Banora, but when I asked him about it I couldn't get much from him. I could tell that he wasn't too happy about how he got his promotion into first class, but I wouldn't be either if I were in his place."

"Couldn't you have used your status to get it out of him?" asked Tifa.

"I didn't want to pressure him. Genesis and Angeal were his friends too, it would just be too hard on him," Lunara replied with a shrug.

"So, what happened?" Cloud interjected.

"All SOLDIERs from here on out are to be notified that first class SOLDIERs, Angeal and Genesis, are enemies of Shinra and the world. Kill on sight," Lunara mused as she read the E-mail from off her screen. Sighing, she slumped back in her chair and threw her glasses to the table before rubbing her eyes in frustration. Next to her, Sephiroth sat reading the E-mail as well.

"I don't understand," she continued. "What made them do this? I know that Genesis wasn't always happy with what Shinra did, but this is more extreme than the usual rant in the library."

Beside her, her lover shrugged slightly, but made no reply. She watched as his emerald eyes scanned the notification over and over before he turned to her with an almost sad look. Reaching forward she touched his cheek softly. "What's wrong?"

"Zack and I are assigned to track them down and kill them. There will be no negotiating," he said quietly. Lunara closed her eyes, as if to stop tears from forming, but she had never cried before so she wasn't really sure how. She wanted to cry, she wanted each of her tears to say how much she hated this, how much she ached for it, but no tears would be shed.

"This is insanity."

"Later that month, Genesis had created copies of himself to attack Shinra. I helped in defeating them when they broke through our barriers. You have no idea how hard it was to kill countless beings that looked like the person I had known as a friend for five years," Lunara sighed, but continued anyway. "Sephiroth and Zack were sent to track down Dr. Hollander's secret lab. He had sworn revenge on Shinra with Angeal and Genesis and even helped make their copies. I guess they didn't know, but Hollander had actually conducted the same experiments Gast and Hojo had on Sephiroth and myself with Angeal and Genesis, although we didn't know it at the time, otherwise Hollander would be dead. It was then that they confronted each other and in order to protect Hollander in hopes of him returning to normal, Angeal knocked Zack into the slums where he met Aeris. On his way to Modeoheim he met you, Cloud, and I think you can fill in what happened from there on that side."

The blonde nodded. "What happened to Angeal and Genesis?"

Lunara's easy grin was long lost by now and her frown deepened. If they could see her eyes they would have seen the deep sadness in them. "Zack defeated Genesis who soon after jumped into a facility then in Modeoheim he found Angeal mutating and was forced to kill him. In his last breaths he gave his treasured buster sword to Zack, much like he did for you, and asked him to protect his honor."

"And after that?" inquired Tifa.

"Months after we continued to hunt down Hollander who was being protected by Genesis' copies as he was still alive. While you, Zack and Sephiroth were sent to Nibelheim, I was sent with a few other SOLDIERs to Kalm. While at Nibelheim Genesis told Sephiroth of the kinds of things Gast did to us, but he refused to believe it. He defeated him then locked himself in Gast's old study for a week. I don't think I need to explain what happened after that," Lunara said softly.

"What about Genesis?" asked Cloud.

"I suppose you were a little delirious around that time. While you and Zack were running from Shinra Zack killed him in a cavern in Banora, leaving you with Lazard for protection. Shinra attacked you and when he returned to the surface he managed to save you just in time, handing Genesis over to them in the process. When Shinra discovered that you and Zack were near Midgar, they attacked. Zack protected you with his life, Cloud and now here you are."

"I don't understand. What happened to you?"

"When Sephiroth burned Nibelheim the SOLDIERs I was with in Kalm received an order to abduct me. I was taken back to headquarters injured. Of course I had fought them, but three on one wasn't an even fight, especially when they had other infantrymen as help. They knew about the experiments done to me, the bastards, and in order to stop any more of their top SOLDIERs from going insane, they locked me up somewhere in a nameless cave in the middle of nowhere in something similar to a chryogenic tube. I was there for eight years, hardly being able to move. I couldn't speak, I couldn't get help somehow; all I could do was watch and listen to the nothingness around me. I'm surprised I didn't go insane like the others because of it," Lunara explained.

"How did you know of everything that happened if you were in a chryochamber then?" Tifa said in confusion. "You said you couldn't get out or speak."

Lunara paused for a long moment, staring at her sword that still sat on the table. "I said I could still see and hear," she said softly. "On Sephiroth's first return, he found my chamber. He told me everything, but in his insanity, I don't think he believed I was actually alive or even there, only a body being preserved."

She saw light. For the first time in five years she saw light streaming from the wall where the hidden door had been, sending beams of light into her stale cavern. She couldn't see him until he was directly in front of her prison, a mask of sadness and wonder marring his handsome features. He lifted a hand, placing it against the glass as he stared at her.

"Lunara… My precious, Luna… My Ara…" he mumbled to himself, scanning her body still clad in the leather coat and gloves he gave her years ago. "Do you know what they did to you? What they did to us? They killed what should have been our humanity, my dear. We are nothing but monsters to them. When my plans are fulfilled I will take you to the Promised Land with me. I will have you by my side again, I swear it. You and I will complete mother's journey together. You're lifeless eyes will see again and our hearts will become one."

Lunara couldn't know if she was crying with the liquid surrounding her every inch, but she doubted it. She wanted to shout to him as he pressed his lips to her tank in a soft kiss and left her back in the darkness, she wanted to reach out and touch him in the way she used to. But she couldn't move, she couldn't even blink or twitch in any way to let him know that she was alive and there with him, that she heard him.

That she loved him…

"He visited me whenever he could until his final defeat and I was left in darkness without his soothing deep voice once again. It wasn't until recently that I escaped my prison, blind, cold and wet," she finished slowly and lifted her head to look at the other two. They looked sad, as if they had a brief moment of pity for the monster they've fought countless times, but as soon as she saw it they wiped it off only to be replaced by interest.

"So, how did you escape?" asked Cloud.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. Three silver haired men all similar to Sephiroth found me and shattered my chamber. The only thing I remember before blacking out was one smiling at me and saying: 'it is almost time, my sister'. Time for what, I have no idea. I don't even know who they were. All I know is that they freed me from my prison, I could not see properly and that I had to go to Edge. When I got here I saw your flyer, Cloud." She grinned slightly when the blonde twitched an embarrassed smile. "A delivery boy? Really, Cloud, you have the skills to do so much better."

"There's another thing I don't understand," cut in Tifa after a moment, both ignoring her comment. "How come you're not mad at Shinra and everything they did to you?"

Lunara's head tilted from Cloud to his childhood friend. "I don't believe in holding grudges. Yes, what Shinra did was terrible and I'm not necessarily human. I'm a monster; neither human, Cetra, or alien, but I've come to accept that, the others didn't," she said.

"But doesn't it make you angry?"

"Furious," she agreed calmly. "But I'm not about to destroy the planet to exact revenge on descendents of selfish people. Not all of you are like that. I know that now there are people, like you, who would stand up and fight, and you have."

Tifa looked to Cloud nervously as if scared that what she was about to say next would anger or upset Lunara. "Aren't you mad at us for killing the man you loved though?"

Again, she paused. "Yes, but I know it was necessary. If you hadn't, the world would be destroyed and we don't even know if he would have made it to the Promised Land, if there even is one," she replied.

"Wait," Cloud suddenly spoke up. "You said that you were freed from your chryochamber by men that looked like Sephiroth?"

Lunara nodded grimly. "Yes, three of them. I think they may have plans to bring him back, though I don't know by what means."

Cloud cursed softly under his breath and put his head in his hands as Tifa patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. It had been two years since Sephiroth had last terrorized the planet and they didn't know what else he could possibly do to make it worse. Across the table from the two friends Lunara remained silent, retelling her story had brought on a depressed feeling that filled her soul. If Sephiroth were to come back she didn't know what would happen. Would he somehow convince her to go with his plans? Or would she be forced to kill him? Both were roads she didn't wish to do or even think about, but one way or another, they had a serious problem on their hands.

Finally, she cleared her throat to grab their attention. "Cloud, if Sephiroth does come back, I don't know if I can be included in the fight," she said and Tifa's mouth fell open in shock as Cloud just stared at her.

"What? No, you have to fight with us. You're strong. With both yours and Cloud's strengths combined defeating him will be easy!" she exclaimed.

Lunara shook her head. "It's not that simple, Tifa-"

"The hell it is!" she roared, slamming her fist on the table. The woman across from her never even flinched only leveled her with an emotionless gaze. "You _have_ to help us."

"On the contrary, I don't have to do anything. In fact, you're lucky I told you this much. Half of what I've told you is top secret Shinra material. Besides, by being included in the fight I will only cause more harm than good," Lunara said stonily causing Tifa to pause, but her anger was still flared.

"But-!"

"Tifa," Cloud cut in loudly. His raven haired friend stopped at what she was about to say and looked to the Ex-SOLDIER who stared solemnly at the table. "As much as I'd hate to not have a good fighter in on this, I think she's right. Being there will only cause distraction."

"But, Cloud-"

"Tifa, no," he cut her off again. He lifted his gaze from the table to look into her eyes. "The only thing she would be able to do is watch when it comes to the final battle. We can't afford any advantage Sephiroth may have on us."

Lunara nodded in agreement. "And I don't want to be a liability. I'm an Ex-SOLDIER. I will not be put in a situation where my feelings override my conscience," she said then crossed her arms over her chest while leaning back in her chair. "Trust me, if I were in this fight it would only end in a disaster that you can avoid without me."

Tifa sighed in defeat. "Fine, but I just have one more question," she said slowly.

Lunara nodded for her to continue. "Ask away."

"You said you were in that chryochamber for eight years. You were put in when you were twenty. Realistically that makes you twenty-eight years old, but you don't look a day over twenty-five," she said then blushed slightly at the audacity of her question. Lunara chuckled slightly.

"Chryogenic chambers are tricky things to understand. While inside mine, my aging process was slowed down so I am three years younger than I technically should be," she explained.

"Oh," the other woman mumbled embarrassedly and didn't say anymore.

With a smile Lunara stood and picked up her sword, sheathing it to her back once more. Cloud and Tifa stood as well when she pushed her chair in. "Well, now I guess I'll take my leave," she said quietly.

"You're leaving? But what if we need you here?" Tifa asked hastily.

"If you need me I'll be here. I will check in regularly to get caught up," Lunara responded as she headed to the door. Cloud said nothing as he followed her with Tifa. "I just hope that nothing happens while I'm away. Good luck to you both."

Cloud nodded again as Tifa said goodbye and she opened unlocked and opened the door to step outside. The air was much cooler than inside the bar and she was thankful for her coat to keep her at least a little warm. She heard the lock click behind her once again and looked to the east to see the sun rising over the tall buildings. People all around were getting out of their houses and into their cars for their daily jobs; orphans were coming out of dark allies rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Some of them had bandages; other's none revealing their Geostigma. A frown tugged at her lips at seeing this.

Geostigma was the aftermath of Sephiroth's wrath. The planet was still angry it seemed and those who had been exposed to mako and children were all affected. A disgusting green rash, it looked like, that caused severe pain to the infected. Cloud had it; she could see it during their conversation. He would randomly flinch to hide it and would scratch at the arm being covered by his one sleeve. She wished she could help him, but she had no cure strong enough for something like that.


	4. IV Disappearances

For weeks after that night, Lunara kept to her word and visited biweekly for the next month. Although they hadn't known each other for very long, Lunara felt a warmth in Tifa that kept her heart light and she decided that the young martial artist was as close to a 'girlfriend', or whatever the youth called female friends these days, she'd ever get, despite their differences and their pasts. To avoid too much attention she only visited the bar after hours or before they opened apparently causing one of the young children residing in one of the rooms upstairs to grow curious. Tifa had fondly explained to her that Marlene, the daughter of one of their friends', awakened every time Lunara came over and was curious as to whose voice was the third ones. Upon hearing this Lunara had to laugh slightly.

It was one certain night that the mysterious ex-SOLDIER happened to meet the little girl. Later Tifa informed her that the girl had refused to go to bed until she met this woman. Her curiosity had grown too strong in the past month and she wanted to see who this person was. Tifa had explained to her that it was not important and that she was just an old friend of Cloud's, but that had only made Marlene more eager.

That night when Lunara knocked on the door to the bar it wasn't answered by Tifa, but instead this little girl with the brightest smile she had ever seen since Zack as she swung the door open. She was about six or seven and had long brown hair that was braided with a pink bow down her back. Her clothes were white, the skirt and the turtle neck, and her eyes were a sparkling chocolate brown.

"Hi!" she chirped almost bouncing on the balls of her feet. Lunara returned the smile easily and nodded to her.

"Hello," she returned.

"Are you Cloud and Tifa's friend?" she asked cutely as she tilted her little head to the side and looked the woman over.

Lunara laughed slightly and nodded again. "Yes, I am."

Marlene's smile widened and she heaved the door open wider, allowing the woman inside. Stepping past the threshold she said her thanks and greeted Tifa who stood behind the bar cleaning a few cups. When inside, Marlene shut the door and bounced next to the woman examining her even as the two women began to speak.

"Sorry about Marlene. She refused to go to bed until she met you," apologized Tifa with a lopsided smile and Lunara shook her head and returned the gesture.

"It's quite alright. I understand," she chuckled as she felt a gentle tug on her coat. She looked down to find Marlene staring up at her with those wide brown eyes of hers. "Yes, little one?"

"Why do you wear that?" she asked curiously and lifted a tiny finger to point at the woman's blindfold. Lunara smiled and knelt in front of the girl with her right leg propped up and her arm rested on top of her knee.

"What this?" she said brushing a slender finger over the corner of the blindfold. "It helps me see."

Marlene's face scrunched up, but her adorable smile never left. "Well, that's weird," she giggled earning a short scolding from Tifa. The girl blushed and looked at her feet briefly in shame. "Sorry, but I always thought blindfolds made you not see. Me and Denzle use them when we play hide and seek."

"Well, I don't know how, but I can see you better wearing it than when I don't," Lunara smiled.

"Then I guess you wouldn't be very fun to play hide and seek with, huh?" she giggled again and Lunara chuckled as she straightened to stand again.

"I suppose not," she agreed.

Marlene giggled again and took the woman's hand to drag her to the bar where Tifa was and jumped on a stool. Lunara took the one on her left and smiled at Tifa. "Where's Cloud?" she asked.

"He had a late delivery to take care of," explained the waitress and Lunara nodded then felt another tap on her shoulder. Looking over to Marlene she found the girl staring intently at her.

"Can I see your eyes?" she inquired. No matter the innocence of the question it caused Lunara's smile to fall and she saw that Tifa's had as well. She hadn't even shown her eyes to them yet and they understood that she wasn't about to do it anytime soon. She had practically been the female Sephiroth and they had a guess as to the color. They also guessed that half the reason she wore the blindfold was to avert astonished glances at her eyes.

"Perhaps another time, little one," she said softly and offered a shaky smile. Marlene merely shrugged and smiled.

"Okay! What's your name?" she asked.

Lunara's smile returned as she chuckled at the curiosity this girl had. She sure did ask a lot of questions. "Lunara," she replied.

"That's a pretty name," she cooed and straightened her back as she held out her hand. "I'm Marlene."

It was cute how the girl attempted to act like an adult and so, Lunara shook her hand gently. "A pleasure to meet you, Marlene," she said.

Marlene giggled as they released hands then she turned to Tifa. "I'm going to bed now, Tifa, okay?"

Tifa nodded and smiled at the girl as she leaned across the counter to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight, Marlene," she said softly then the little girl turned back to Lunara as she hopped off the barstool. She wrapped her arms around the woman and hugged tightly, the action causing Lunara to jump slightly and stare down at the little girl in surprise. When the hug was over, Marlene looked at her brightly.

"Goodnight!" she chirped and skipped up the stairs to the room she shared with the other child, Denzle she believed.

After the girl disappeared, Lunara sat frozen still feeling the warmth of Marlene's gesture. Across from her, Tifa smiled fondly and continued washing dishes. "I think she likes you," she said.

Lunara didn't answer for a long time as she stared up the stairs where the girl disappeared then finally turned back to Tifa with a nervous twitch of a smile. "I don't see how. She just met me," she replied.

Tifa sighed and shook her head with a smile at her new friend. "Marlene makes friends easily and has a talent when it comes to judging character. She finds yours one that she can trust," she shrugged and watched the woman soak this in. "It's not a bad thing, Lunara."

"Isn't it?" returned the ex-SOLDIER, lifting her head to look at the woman across from her. "I am a monster, after all."

"Stop it," scolded the bartender whipping the leather clad woman gently in the arm with her cloth. "You're not a monster. Sephiroth was."

If it hadn't been for the blindfold Tifa was sure she would have seen the glare Lunara sent her way because she certainly felt it. Blushing ashamedly she looked away from her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just, he's the one that turned on us and destroyed our homes. You didn't," she explained and let out a breath when she felt the glare on her leave.

"It's alright, Tifa. You have no need to apologize. You've had a bad history with Shinra and Sephiroth, you have a right to be angry at him," she said while shaking her head, wisps of dark hair coming to cover her face as it bowed to stare at the counter top. "And who knows? If I hadn't have been confined by Shinra I might have joined him and all that you fought to keep wouldn't be here. Nothing would be here…"

Tifa said nothing because as much as she hated to admit it, it was true. With her love for Sephiroth, he might have been able to manipulate her to his cause just like he had manipulated Cloud. She shivered at the thought and looked back at the woman that still moped across from her. She wanted to say something, some words of comfort, but whatever she said would most likely hurt the woman more. Thankfully she was saved from thinking of something when Cloud walked through the door.

The two women looked to the blonde as the door opened and he in return looked up. The small smile that usually greeted them wasn't there and they blinked, momentarily forgetting the previous conversation. Turning around on the swiveling barstool, Lunara rested her weight on the edge of the counter while looking Cloud over.

"Is there something wrong, Cloud?" she inquired and the blonde shrugged.

"It's been a long day," he responded. The two women looked at each other in disbelief, but didn't press the matter.

"Is there any news?" asked Tifa hopefully while changing the subject. Cloud sadly and shook his head and sat at a stool next to Lunara. Sighing, the blindfolded woman leaned heavily against the counter in defeat. Her usually straight and confident posture was slouched and she looked like she had given up. Cloud had never seen his old friend like this; she was always positive and trying to think on the brighter side. Weeks with them getting nowhere seemed to get her spirits down quicker than he thought.

"It appears the three men have been hiding very well. What do you suppose they're waiting for?" Lunara wondered aloud quietly as Tifa set a mug of ale in front of her. She nodded. "Thank you."

"Maybe they're waiting for one of us to be alone," offered the bartender. Immediately both Cloud and Lunara shook their heads.

"They would have attacked already. Lunara is always alone when she's not with us and I'm by myself on deliveries," said Cloud. The women nodded in unison, but while Lunara went back to her drink, Tifa furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Where do you stay anyway, Lunara?" she asked which caused Cloud to also turn to her questioningly. Lunara stopped from lifting her glass to her lips and looked between both of them before shrugging.

"Oh, you know. Places here and there," she replied vaguely with a wave of her hand.

"Luna," Cloud said sternly as if in warning and she raised a countering eyebrow over the blindfold she wore. This didn't perturb Cloud. "Don't lie to us. Where have you been spending your nights?"

"Exactly where I said. Here and there," she responded, lifting the glass of ale to her lips and taking a sip. She could hear Tifa sigh in frustration across from her.

"Lunara, seriously. Where do you sleep?" she questioned.

Lunara kept her head bowed slightly, but underneath her blindfold she looked at her friends as if she were emotionless when in reality she had a mix of confusion, worry and fear mixed inside of her. "Whoever said anything about sleeping?" she countered monotonously. The other two were silent after she spoke and just stared at the woman as she stared back. At least, they _thought_ she was staring back.

"What do you mean?" asked Cloud after a long pause. Lunara sighed and straightened from leaning against the bar counter.

"Well, eight years in Chryosleep kind of keeps you awake for a while, I guess," she said with a shrug.

"Are you telling us that you haven't slept for a month?" Shocked, Tifa's mouth hung open slightly in astonishment and she looked to Cloud. "How is that possible?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know, Tifa. I don't know anything about Chryochambers," he replied, perplexed.

"Chryoliquid has a special chemical in it called _Korotine._ Now, I don't know exactly how it works, but when in contact with an absorbable substance, say skin, it slows the aging process. Eventually it makes its way into the blood stream, slowing the function of organs and blood flow, but it is unable to stop the synapses between neurons, that's why a person can hear, see and think like normal. It's like acid, except it does the complete opposite. It spreads quickly, but instead of burning and pulling apart the body, it keeps it together in preservation. Hojo used it in many of his experiments, but _Korotine_ was a rare substance to produce considering it took a significant amount of Jenova cells to make and Shinra needed as much of them as they could get their dirty little hands on," Lunara explained slowly looking between the two as she spoke.

Sighing in annoyance, Tifa ran a hand through her short raven hair. "Even now we find out what Shinra was up to back then," she groaned.

Lunara nodded. "Indeed. It was especially hush hush because they ordered Hojo to stop using it considering it took too many Jenova cells to make and what was left of it was put in lock down. They only used it in small doses when absolutely needed. They used the last of it to preserve me," she said.

"Preserve…" said Cloud thoughtfully. "Did they plan to use you again? If they thought you to be that dangerous, why not just kill you when they had the chance?"

Taking a large gulp of her ale, Lunara grimaced slightly. "I've been wondering the same thing since they put me in that tube, Cloud. I can't tell you how many times it's crossed my mind," she added.

"Pardon my language, but all this is really fucked up," cut in Tifa which Lunara's lips twitched a smile to. She was right though, everything, all this, was really messed up. Maybe she should just go talk to Rufus, maybe he knew more about what went on with her back then. After all, he was the Vice President for a very long time; his father would have let him in on his dirty little secrets no doubt.

"I should go talk with Rufus. He might know more about what the hell is going on," she said finally, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Cloud shake his head.

"I don't think that will be possible."

Lunara raised a brow over her blindfold. "And why not?" she inquired.

"Because a few years ago we blew up Shinra headquarters and Rufus was still inside. We're not sure, but we think he probably didn't survive the blast. If he did, then he's probably crippled or brain dead beyond belief," replied Tifa. Lunara sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well then. As you may say, we are shit out of luck, yes?" she said and the other two nodded. After a moment's pause Lunara downed the rest of her ale and stood from the barstool. "I suppose I will be off then."

"Where are you going?" asked Cloud.

"Searching. Since I can't sleep, that's all I have been doing the past month," she replied then looked to the bartender. "Thank you for the drink, Tifa. I will see you both soon. Possibly." As she made her way to the door, Tifa quickly came around from the other side of the bar as Cloud stood.

"Wait, Lunara. At least stay here for the night," she offered, gently taking the woman's arm. "And what do you mean by 'possibly'?"

Gently tugging her arm out of the younger woman's grasp, Lunara leveled them both with even stares. "That's very kind of you to offer, Tifa, but I must decline. I am leaving Edge for a while and I am not sure when I will return," she answered smoothly.

"Where are you going?" asked Cloud as Tifa began to protest.

"Midgar," she replied. "If Rufus isn't alive then that is the only place I may be able to find answers."

"No, no. Let Cloud go with you. Stay here for tonight and in the morning you can have breakfast with us and the kids then you can leave for Midgar," interjected Tifa hurriedly. Lunara had to crack a small smile at the eagerness for her wanting to stay.

"Forgive me, Tifa, but I can't. What could I possibly do if I cannot sleep? I would be bored to death. No, I will start walking tonight," she returned then looked to the clock at the other end of the room that read 3am. "Or rather this morning."

"Cloud," Tifa begged, turning to her childhood friend. The blonde merely sighed slightly and shook his head.

"We can't make her stay, Tifa, and she has a point. Maybe she will find answers _and_ the three silver haired men," he said then turned back to Lunara with his hand held out. "Good luck."

Lunara nodded her head in gratitude before taking his gloved hand with her own and shaking it firmly. "Likewise. I hope my search will not be in vein." She gave the two one last smile before tipping her head down slightly. "Farewell."

As soon as she was out the door, it closed behind her with a soft click. She took a deep breath and tasted the pollution in the air which made her nose wrinkle in distaste. If these people weren't careful this city would become just as destroyed as Midgar had, although there were, hopefully, no biologically enhanced SOULDIERs to help the process along. Sighing softly she began her trek down the street towards the border of Edge. If she walked, it was about a day long trek, but she was in no hurry and she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon, so she could make it by noon.

Midgar was nothing anymore; only torn to bits buildings, destroyed streets and the haunting of broken lives and dreams. If anything was the symbol of greed and sadness, it was Midgar and she hated going back more than anything, but if she wanted to find out what the hell was going on, she had to suck it up like a big girl and face her fears. Lunara was never one to step down from a challenge, but her heart felt like it was being pulled apart with more force with every step she took. Midgar was where her old life was. It was where she had met Sephiroth, fell in love with him and eventually torn away from him. Before she could suppress them, more memories flooded her mind…

"Ara?"

She awoke slowly when the comfortably warm body beneath her moved slightly. She groaned slightly in annoyance and buried her face in Sephiroth's chest even as he chuckled in amusement and smoothed his large hand over her hair. She yawned softly and attempted to curl her naked body closer to his.

"Wake up, Ara," he whispered gently and she made a sound of protest causing another chuckle to rumble through his chest. "Yes. I have recruits to train and you have SOULDIERs' asses to kick."

Lunara let out a soft laugh at that and finally lifted her head from his chest to look at him with sleepily blurry eyes. Emerald green eyes stared back at each other with equal love and admiration. The General lifted a hand to brush over her cheek and she grinned at him.

"You are so beautiful…" he sighed and she smiled wider. Lifting her body to rest fully over his, she rose up to kiss his delicious lips slowly as her knees slid to either side of his hips. He moaned softly and curled his hand into her hair, crushing their lips together in a heated kiss. Lunara chuckled slightly as down below she felt a certain something rise in excitement. Wriggling her hips, she continued to taunt him.

He pulled away from the kiss then and hissed slightly, but that crooked smile of his remained. She smirked at him and moved her hips again, their lower regions just barely touching yet sending the most delicious sensations through them. He made a grunt of pleasure then annoyance when she suddenly rolled off him and wrapped the robe she kept in his room at the end of the bed around herself.

"What are you doing, Ara?" he almost whined, but his self control restrained most of it. The woman turned her head to look at her lover with a small smile, allowing her eyes to roam over his perfectly aroused body.

"Having a shower, Seph. What does it look like?" she grinned then stood to move over to the bathroom to the left of the bed, but she didn't get far. The General had leaped up from his position and easily pinned her to the wall beside the door. Her smile never left because she had guessed that this would happen.

"You can't just tease me like that and then leave me, Lunara," he growled playfully before his lips attacked her neck. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while tilting her head back for him to have easier access to the delicate skin.

"Mmm… Actually, I was quite hoping you would join me," she sighed in delight. The man groaned against her and groped at her robe until it was free from her body and on the floor. The next thing the couple knew, they were in the shower, steamy hot water pouring over them while they tangled with each other and kissed each other as if afraid to let go.


	5. V Midgar

Little did the two lovers know that they would indeed be torn apart. Cruelly and without any remorse or guilt. Tears soaked the dark blindfold she wore as she entered the demolished city and eventually she ripped it off in frustration, allowing her blank eyes to be revealed. If anyone had seen her eyes, they would have gasped at the stark resemblance they had to the color of mako and how extraordinarily bright they were, but they leaked tears of anguish and the brows above them quivered and narrowed in emotional pain. Never before had Lunara knowingly wept as hard as she did at this moment. In her Chryochamber, her tears mixed with the liquid that kept her alive so she had no way of telling how many tears she had shed in self pity.

The memories coming back to her were like bricks crashing into her stomach, sending her further sinking into the endless ocean of sorrow and unable to breathe. She hated Shinra, she hated Hojo, she hated everything. She briefly wondered if this was what her friends felt like before they betrayed everything they ever knew; before they killed innocent people, destroyed innocent cities and destroyed what was left of their humanity. Lunara refused to take the same path they did although she couldn't lie and say she was not tempted.

Far off in the distance, she heard the clap of thunder and soon rain began to pour relentlessly around her, yet she stayed where she was seated on a mound of broken stones and wood that used to be someone's home. No, even through her hatred, she knew it was wrong to kill innocence and to take revenge selfishly. Unlike her lover and friends, she knew that there was still a small percentage of good people left in the world; Cloud and his friends proved that.

As another clap of thunder shook the cold air, the blind woman's unseeing eyes danced around as if she were searching for something. Although no images met her gaze, she knew exactly what was around her. She knew where every broken stone and building was, where every obstacle was, she even knew where the rat was that scurried off to hide from the rain. The less light that disturbed her dead eyes, the more she was able to sense around her and therefore, the blindfold was necessary. Sighing, she slumped back and let herself become soaked as more memories flashed through her mind.

"Face it, Angeal, there is no way you can beat me, even with that giant dinosaur cock you call a sword," taunted Zack as the raven haired man swung his buster blade effortlessly at his student, who barely missed getting his head cut off with a laugh.

Angeal smirked as he attacked again, only to be parried and pushed away by Zack who quickly attacked as well. The mentor blocked the attack easily and swung his buster blade again, nicking the young SOLDIER's arm. Off to the side of the battle arena, Lunara sat comfortably with her back rested against the wall eating a cup of yogurt and chuckling at her friends' antics.

Angeal and Zack had been going at it for hours with hardly any breaks and hardly any signs of exhaustion. After Lunara had finished with a Third Class SOLDIER who was having trouble with his blade, she had gravitated over to the area her friends fought at and was void of any other spectators who were terrified of the angry grunts and sparks that flew from the scuffle. Lunara, however, had been witness to this plenty of times and had since been used to such things.

Only twenty minutes after she sat down with her snack had Sephiroth appeared and sat beside her, far enough away to not seem intimate, but close enough to be friendly. As he sat down, Lunara had winked at him with a sly smile to which the General had returned. Chuckling, both of them returned to the fight and Lunara continued sipping at her yogurt. A few times, Lunara glanced at her secret lover and smirked when she found him watching her as well, inconspicuously watching the creamy white substance enter her mouth and her tongue dart out to lick up a drop that fell just below her lip.

She enjoyed teasing him when they were in public. It made the adrenaline rush through her veins at the thought of being noticed and she knew that Sephiroth secretly enjoyed it as well. She knew because countless times after meetings or social get-togethers, he'd drag her to some secluded area and proceed to practically suck her face off or ravish her until the point of delirium. She didn't mind it, in fact she loved it, but she hated answering questions such as to why her hair was a mess or why her clothes looked so wrinkled. Sephiroth, of course, was the master of calm and perfection as his hair was always flawless and in place and his clothes as crisp as ever.

As she continued to eat her yogurt cup and sneak glances at the man next to her she didn't notice the drop of yogurt that fell on her chin, but when she finished her snack and put her full attention on the fight, she didn't notice Sephiroth moved closer to her. She was surprised when his face was suddenly next to hers and his tongue was darting out to lick her chin before his head moved to the side to gently nip her ear, a place he discovered to be her sensitive area; in other words he performed an action that usually made her moan in pleasure.

At the affectionate gesture, a delightful tingle ran up Lunara's spine and she had to bite her lip to suppress a moan. She looked around to see if anyone was watching before closing her eyes and letting out a happy sigh. Sephiroth chuckled beside her ear before giving it another nip and leaning away. She wanted to giggle like a little girl, but that wasn't her so she winked at him instead.

"You are absolutely barbaric," she chuckled as she lifted the empty yogurt cup back up and dipping her finger in to wipe the rest of the food off the edges and lick it off. Beside her she heard Sephiroth let out a groan so quiet that she hardly noticed it, but when she tilted her head to look at him she could see the restraint in his features and his legs press firmly together.

"I could say the same thing to you, Ara," he replied before giving her a smile that would have made any girl fall to her knees in ecstasy. Fortunately, Lunara was able to keep her hormones at bay until they were alone.

Grinning at each other, they snuck a quick kiss before returning their attention back to the fight. Later, when their friends still didn't stop, they snuck off to the equipment room and locked the door so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Anyone reading Lunara's mind at that moment would have thought that her relationship with Sephiroth had been nothing but sex, and although that was partially true, she would have to tell them that it was because of the sex that they got to know each other. They learned what made each other squirm, what made each other laugh and what annoyed them. If Lunara hadn't come over so often for their long night rendezvous, then she wouldn't have been able to get anything out of him when they were around their friends. He told her things that he had never told Angeal or Genesis and it made her feel like he could trust her and she liked it. Not once did she ever believe that Sephiroth lied to her and she was comfortable with the fact that one day they could tell people about their relationship.

Of course, everything had to go wrong by then. The secrets of their pasts were discovered, truths finally coming to the surface and her dear lover's mind had to shatter, her friends had to die and she had to be locked away in a chamber for eight miserable years of pain and sorrow. If the three silver haired men ever did succeed in bringing Sephiroth back, Lunara couldn't decide whether to be happy or devastated.

If Sephiroth ever was going to come back, he'd surely try to destroy the world again and as much as she hated that fact, Lunara couldn't deny that she knew she would feel immense joy at seeing him again. Maybe, if he saw her alive and well and out of that blasted chamber, his mind would heal and he would set aside his destructive plans to be with her in peace. Maybe she'd save the planet and more innocent lives just by getting him to look at her.

But she knew deep down in her heart that it wouldn't be. As much as she loved Sephiroth and as much as she believed he held feelings for her, he still didn't love her the same way. They had never said the three dreaded words to each other or even implied them, but she knew that his feelings for her weren't as strong as hers for him. Sephiroth, no matter how different his thoughts were, was still the same person and he would never admit defeat or love.

No matter how much she tried to convince herself of it, she couldn't help the little spark of hope that lit within her. The others might not know it, but she also believed that there was still some good in him. She had to hold on to that. If she didn't, then she just might crack as well and all would be lost.

Two months to the day Lunara last was in Seventh Heaven, she still didn't return and Cloud and Tifa were beginning to worry. The blind ex-SOLDIER didn't have a phone for them to contact and even Cloud's attempts to find her in Midgar were futile. Cloud himself had become obsessed with finding information about the three silver haired men and finding his old friend, but both were in vein. He stayed out all day with deliveries, then it gradually turned into nights where he was gone looking. Soon he stopped coming back to the bar for days at a time, his delivery service abandoned, and he spoke less and less. By the time three months rolled around, Cloud stopped answering his phone and he stopped coming back all together. A month after that, there was still no signs of either Cloud or Lunara.

Tifa, although worried, felt more annoyance. She couldn't blame Lunara for not staying in touch to see if she found anything considering she didn't have a phone, but she could have came back to Edge to let them know she was alright. And Cloud; he just disappears all of a sudden? She was even more annoyed with the blonde because he actually _did _have a phone to let her know he was alright and he had a bike that could bring him back once in a while for a good night sleep. But no; they didn't contact her at all and it was making her exceedingly frustrated, something that didn't happen often. When vowed that when she saw those two again that she was going to give them the biggest lectures of their lives. She might not have known Lunara very long or very well, but she knew that the woman would never hurt her, so she wasn't afraid to let out her anger next time they met.

Huddled on the ground by a small fire she had made, Lunara slept dreaming of her days back in SOLDIER with the only man she would ever love. About a month after she reached Midgar, sleep started to overcome her senses once again with the effects of the Chryoliquid finally wearing off. She had made a camp under an overhang of rocks that she could tell used to be a room considering she found a tattered blanket and pillow that she now used as her bed.

Almost every day she could hear the rumbling of Clouds motorcycle, Fenrir, and concluded that Cloud must have been looking for clues as well as her, but she didn't want to be found, not yet anyway. At night, she snuck away to her little cave that she made into a home and during the day she searched for clues while avoiding Cloud's attempts of finding her. One night she actually followed Cloud to find out where he went every night because she knew that he never left the city. She never once, since he got there, heard Fenrir's roar leaving Midgar towards Edge.

Her dear ex-guard friend had taken to staying at the church where the only bed of flowers in all of Midgar grew. She didn't know why he chose there to spend his nights, maybe he found the flowers comforting in such a gloomy deserted city or maybe it was something else. She had stood by the door and heard him kneel on the ground in the flowers mumbling to himself about being sorry. Lunara had narrowed her eyes under her blindfold in question, but she decided to leave and let Cloud have his privacy.

It wasn't long after Cloud had decided to take up residence in the church that he finally found her. He was a lot harder to avoid when he stopped using Fenrir to get around and Lunara found it inevitable that he would eventually discover her. It was one night when he was attracted by the light of her fire that he found her. She had hidden in the shadows upon hearing him approach and although she knew it was probably him, she couldn't take the chance of being attacked by a creature or someone else without being prepared.

But as soon as Cloud's spiked locks came into the light of the fire, Lunara had also stepped out of the shadows. Upon hearing her footfalls, Cloud's eyes looked up from curiously looking about her camp and held his sword up ready for battle.

"Calm down, Cloud. It is only me," she said calmly as she sat down by the fire to warm her hands with a small smile. When he didn't say anything, she turned her head in his direction. "Goodness. You act as if you are seeing a ghost."

"Pretty damn close to it," he mumbled before sheathing his sword on his back and crouching by the fire as well. "Luna, why are you still here? Why have you been avoiding me?"

"To answer your first question; I'm here for the same reasons you are. To find clues and help stop Sephiroth. And for your second question; I've been avoiding you because I know you would try to convince me to go back to Edge. Considering you won't be going back anytime soon either, the answer is no," she said smoothly as she took a stick and poked at the fire.

"Luna," he sighed, putting his hand to his forehead as if annoyed. "You have to go back. You can't just live out here."

"I could very well tell you the same, Cloud," she returned sharply, startling Cloud with her suddenly stern expression. "You have to help Tifa take care of those kids. Me; I have nothing to lose out here. Go back home, Cloud. If I find something, I'll return to Edge and let you know."

"I can't allow that. I promised Tifa I would find you," he said softly.

"So you have found me. Go home and tell Tifa not to worry. I'm capable of taking care of myself as you very well know, Cloud," she practically growled once again startling her friend.

"Fine. I'll go home if you come with me," he countered stubbornly. If Lunara was going to give him attitude, then he was going to give it right back. Lunara's face remained passive and she stood to defiantly place her hands on her hips.

"No."

Cloud sighed and shook his head slightly while his eyes gravitated to the ground. "Luna, please-"

"I said no, Cloud. Leave. Go back to Tifa." When Cloud still didn't move she added, "That's an order."

Cloud's head suddenly snapped up and his eyes flared slightly in anger. "What?"

"I have seniority as well as rank over you and I order you to leave," she said again, her hand raising to point towards the exit while the other stayed firm on her hip. Cloud was sure that if she wasn't wearing her blindfold than he would be able to see her glaring at him so he glared right back.

"We're not in Shinra anymore, Lunara. You're rank doesn't mean anything," he growled.

"Well then, I still have seniority. Leave me." Her voice was hard and cold, not like he remembered from a few months ago when she had been sad yet calm and composed. He figured she was just frustrated with the lack of results from their searching and he couldn't blame her.

With a sigh of defeat, Cloud gave his friend a meaningful look that was returned with an emotionless façade. He knew she was hurting, there was no way anyone could have gone through what she did and not be emotionally scarred, but she refused to let it show. When she said nothing else he finally gave in and turned and left her cave. The next morning he left to search the wastelands. He hoped that when he returned she would be willing to go with him back to Edge or at least work together.

After Cloud left Lunara sat quietly in her cave thinking. She shouldn't have been that hard on Cloud; he wanted to find the three men just as much as she did; there was no need to snap at him. And using her rank… What had she sunk to? She hardly ever used her rank during SOLDIER to get what she wanted; she never even used it on Zack to be quiet or to settle down. Putting her head in her hands she let out a groan. What had gotten into her? Sure she was frustrated with trying to find clues, but she'd never lost her patience this quickly. She'd apologize in the morning, she decided.

But when morning came, Cloud was gone and she wondered if he had actually listened to her and went back to Tifa, but after climbing onto a tall building to hear where he went, she knew he hadn't. She could hear Fenrir going in the opposite direction to Edge, but all that was that way for miles was wastelands. She decided that she'd move her own little pillow and blanket to the church and wait for Cloud to come back so that she could apologize.


	6. VI Rude And Reno

When Cloud didn't return that night Lunara still sat in the church in wait. She had found Cloud's tattered sleeping bag on the ground by the small garden of flowers as well as a box of materia, another box to be used as a nightstand with a lamp on top and some used bandages. Upon picking up the bandages, Lunara immediately knew that it was Cloud's Geostigma. With a sigh she had put them down and went to sit by the bed of flowers after lighting the lamp for light.

Sitting crossed legged she stroked a flower, the soft petals bringing a memory to her mind…

"Seph, what are you doing? Why can't I open my eyes?" Lunara whined as her lover got up from the bed. They had been making love and when they were done and holding each other like they usually did, Sephiroth had said that he had a surprise for her. Telling her to close her eyes, he immediately jumped off the bed to get something.

"Just stay there and keep them closed," she heard him chuckle from the right side of her. Soon she felt his weight on the bed next to her and she rolled over as his one arm came around her to pull her towards him, their bodies still a little slick from their love making. She suddenly felt his breath by her ear and he whispered, "Now open."

When Lunara opened her eyes she was met with the sight of a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Roses, Daisies and especially Tiger Lilies, her favorite. She gasped and looked at Sephiroth who had a satisfied smile on his lips at her reaction. She smiled widely and accepted the bouquet to smell.

"Oh, Seph…" she sighed, giving him a long kiss to which he eagerly returned. "You remembered that I love Tiger Lilies." She looked back at the orange flower and gingerly stroked the petal.

"How could I forget?" he questioned rhetorically and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Happy Birthday, Lunara."

Grinning, Lunara rolled to lie on top of him and gently placed the flowers on the nightstand. His hands came to rest on her hips and his thumbs drew circles on her skin. Leaning down to kiss his neck and collar bone her nails gently scraped his muscular chest. "I hope you know that this entitles you to extra special bonus sex," she chuckled as she nipped his chin.

Her lover moaned slightly. "Mmm, I better. The damn things were expensive."

Coming back from the memory Lunara continued to stoke the petals of the flower. Flowers were so rare in Midgar even then, finding one Tiger Lily probably cost Sephiroth at least 100 Gil. After that night, she loved him even more. She knew just from that night that their relationship was more than just sex. He remembered her birthday as well as her favorite flower; that had to mean something.

With a sorrowful sigh Lunara let the flower go and it stood tall again; she hadn't had the heart to pluck it. "What happened to you?" she asked it softly as if it were Sephiroth. Of course, the flower didn't reply and Lunara sighed again before standing and moving to her little makeshift bed. After blowing out the lamp she fell into another restless sleep.

In the morning, the hole in the roof allowed the light of morning to illuminate the church. The blind ex-SOLDIER was already awake, sitting up and putting on her boots for another day of searching. Four months in Midgar and there was still nothing to be found. Every piece of information there could have been either burned in flames years ago or were buried under tons of stones from broken buildings. But there was nothing else to do until Cloud came back and she surely would hear Fenrir from a far enough distance.

By midday she was looking around the area where the old Shinra building used to keep its documents. She had looked the area over and over during the four months and still she found nothing. She was determined there was something though, she could feel it; today more than ever. Something was going to happen; would it be that she'd finally find something?

Tifa and Marlene entered the abandoned church slowly, but Marlene giggled and ran straight to the bed of flowers under the light of the sun through the giant hole in the roof. Following the young girl at a slower pace was Tifa. The woman had enough of waiting and so had decided to go to Midgar to look for her friends herself. Of course, Marlene had to tag along when she mentioned that she'd be stopping by Areith's church. Marlene loved flowers and always jumped at the chance to go see the bed of them that rested in the broken floor boards.

But their eyes were diverted to the makeshift beds to the right of the flowers and other personal things for drinking, light and the like. After gazing at the items for a few moments, Marlene decided to speak up. "Do Cloud and Lunara live here?" she asked looking to Tifa with curiosity.

Shrugging slightly, Tifa's eyes never left the beds. "I guess they do," she replied gently. Why hadn't Cloud told her? Sleeping at the bar was better than this, why did he stay away? Slowly the two approached the little living area and touching a metallic box lightly, Marlene looked over her shoulder at her caretaker.

"What's this?"

Again, Tifa shrugged and shook her head unknowingly before spotting something on the box that was used as a nightstand. Making her way over to it she found it was a white bandage with darker smudges. Closing her eyes for a moment in disappointment, she immediately knew what it was. The stigma. Either Cloud or Lunara had it and given their history with Shinra both of them were very likely to have it though she had a feeling it was Cloud. She'd seen him wince back when he used to stay at the bar. She used to ask him about it, but he'd always say it was back pain from sleeping wrong or a small scratch something or other.

Marlene came over and picked up the bandage to look it over. "It's just like Denzel. Is Cloud sick?" Again, the girl looked to Tifa for answers. The martial artist wished she didn't always do that, she didn't have all the answers, but she didn't want to hurt Marlene. She loved the little girl with all her heart, but sometimes she asked too many questions.

Ignoring what Marlene asked, Tifa stared blankly at the wall. "Why didn't he say something?"

"Did he leave because he's sick?"

"He just wants to fight alone," Tifa realized, still in the small trance she put herself in.

"Fight?"

"No," she said softly to herself. "I don't think that he will."

"Tifa?"

The woman was suddenly pulled out of her trance when Marlene said her name and she looked at her, a smile coming to her face as she saw the little girl's questioning eyes. She put her hands on her knees and leaning towards her. "Let's go home, Marlene."

Marlene frowned and ran around to the other side of the box as if she were afraid the older woman was going to pick her up. Stomping her foot determinedly, she said, "We can't! They're not here yet!"

Quirking a smile, Tifa admired Marlene's determination then picked up the blackened bandage and stood straight, taking a step towards Marlene. "I know, Sweetie. I miss them too."

"Yeah," chirped the little girl as she ran out from behind the box to meet Tifa as she knelt down before her.

"So say they come back?" she asked.

"We'll all go home," Marlene answered surely causing Tifa to chuckle slightly.

"Not before they get a lecture," she giggled and winked at the girl playfully. The brunette girl smiled brightly and held up her hand.

"Uh huh!" she agreed. Laughing the two girls hi-fived and proceeded to wait for their friends. As Marlene went back to the flowers, Tifa went to sit on one of the benches that were still sturdy enough to put weight on.

Suddenly a loud crash echoed in the air, startling a few crows that sat on the ledge of a broken building. Lunara's head snapped up and she waited a few seconds to possibly discover what it was. The air wasn't humid so it wasn't about to rain, so it had to be something else. Just when she thought it was probably another rock falling off an unstable building another crash was heard and it sounded like wood.

Gasping, Lunara leaped from the rubble she had immersed herself in and onto an over hanging rock. The crashes were coming from the church, she realized, and immediately she started sprinting in that direction, jumping over tall rocks and off of walls. More crashes echoed in the air, pushing Lunara to run faster.

When she reached the church, heart racing she saw nothing. Narrowing her eyes under her blindfold, she thought again that it was possibly some falling stones, but she decided to look in the church just to make sure. As soon as she stepped inside she could smell the flowers, but with was the cloudiness of dust. The church hadn't been taken care of in years, but she knew that the dust wasn't that thick; in fact it looked as if one more pillar was destroyed and many of the pews near the back were demolished.

Someone else was in the church, she could here them breathing raggedly. She looked around wildly then a scent suddenly came to her nose. Lavender; that was Tifa's smell! She recognized it from being in the woman's presence. Lunara sprinted down the isle of the church and into the flower bed where she found Tifa laying unconscious. Kneeling beside the woman she grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly so as to not hurt her.

"Tifa!" she shouted to get her awake, but the woman remained limp. Sighing, the older woman set her down gently on the flowers and checked for wounds. There was a lump on her head that bled slightly and when she prodded gently at her midsection, the woman let out a moan of pain, but still lay with her mind in darkness. Brushing a hand over the woman's hair, Lunara patted her cheek lightly. "Don't worry, Tifa, Cloud will be back soon."

Two hours later, when Lunara was beginning to think Cloud would never show, she heard Fenrir roaring closer to the church. Breathing a sigh of relief she looked down at Tifa with a smile. "He is back. I told you, did I not?" she chuckled as the motorbike pulled up in front of the church. As soon as the engine was cut and the roaring stopped, Lunara called out to him. "Cloud! Cloud, come quick! It's Tifa!"

Instantly she heard his heavy boots thudding quickly against the hardwood floor as he came to kneel on the other side of his childhood friend, putting his left arm under her shoulders to lift her slightly. "Tifa?" he asked and when he received no response he tried again. "Tifa!" There was urgency in his voice as he shook her lightly and the woman began to stir. Both Cloud and Lunara leaned in slightly in apprehension when she groaned slightly in pain.

"You're late…" she moaned softly, her eyes only opening a crack.

"Who did this?" Cloud asked angrily and his friend shook her head while furrowing her brow weakly.

"He didn't say…" Suddenly Tifa gasped and she sat up quickly, eyes wide. "Marlene!" As soon as the little girl's name left her lips she held her head and pain fell back into Cloud's arms unconscious. His own eyes wide with worry, Cloud looked around at the new destruction of the church and his missing materia box.

"Damn!" he swore then suddenly gasped and looked at his arm that was covered.

"Cloud?" Lunara asked uncertainly as the blonde's fist clenched and he continued to gasp in pain. Instantly she knew his Geostigma was acting up. "Cloud, listen to me, just breath alright?" Blackish blue pus leaked down the arm that held Tifa and he groaned; his arm tense and shaking. "Cloud! Calm down! Listen to my voice!"

But it seemed he couldn't hear her and suddenly he released Tifa. Just in time, Lunara caught her before she could do further damage to her head and set her gently on the ground before looking at Cloud who had collapsed next to her clutching his arm. "Cloud?" she asked softly as she saw the pain in his face slowly disappear to become calm and rested. He was unconscious now too.

Throwing her hands up in the air, Lunara let out an exasperated sigh. How was she going to fit both of them onto Fenrir plus herself? Even if she could get them all on there was no way she'd be able to _keep_ them on throughout the ride. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut and began to think.

She was saved from thinking too long when she heard footsteps on the wooden floor. Fearing that it was the man coming back to finish Tifa off, she stood and unsheathed her sword, holding it lightly in her right hand. "Who's there?" she said loudly, her voice echoing in the church.

"Whoa, settle down there, doll, yo," said a familiar voice. A voice she hadn't heard in years.

Narrowing her brows slightly under her blindfold, she mumbled, "Reno?" Her voice was too quiet for her old friend to hear, but she knew it was him for sure. His familiar scent of cinnamon filled her nose and the brilliant red of his hair was unmistakable. What was he doing here?

"Take it easy, ma'am. We only want to help," said an unfamiliar voice. He sounded stoic and calm, much like Sephiroth had, but this man had a lighter tone and it sounded more professional. He was bald too with sunglasses, his expression emotionless. Lowering her sword she sheathed it on her back.

"They're unconscious. I can't fit them on my friend's bike and bring them back to Edge on my own," she said. She trusted Reno back when she was in Shinra, but he was only a rookie Turk then and not so in deep. Was he still with them? If so, what would they do with Cloud and Tifa?

"Cloud's your friend?" asked Reno in surprise and Lunara held back the small smirk at the sound. He was still the same Reno. Untidy clothes that were wrinkled, untucked as well as missing its tie. He still had his red tattoos on his cheekbones and he still had those goggles on his forehead. Some things never change.

"Yes. Their both hurt. Can you help me?" she asked impatiently. Reno nodded to his partner and the larger man stepped forward to lift Cloud off the ground at the same time Lunara lifted Tifa. She nodded to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied and Reno led them outside where their shining black car was parked beside Fenrir. Gently the Turk and Lunara put Cloud and Tifa into the back seat and closed the door. "I'm Rude, by the way."

"Lunara." She lifted a hand and he shook it firmly before they let go.

Happily jumping in, Reno grabbed her hand and shook it as well, although more enthusiastically. "And I'm Reno!" he chirped.

Chuckling softly, Lunara let him shake her hand excitedly. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Hey, do I know you, yo?" he asked when they released hands. Lunara merely shrugged before moving over to Fenrir and started the engine with a roar. "Are you sure you can see with that thing on your eyes?"

"Trust me, I can see better with it," she responded before revving the engine. "You know the way to Seventh Heaven?"

"Sure do, Doll!"

"Good. Lead the way then," she said with a motion of her hand towards Edge. Reno saluted her before hopping in the car with Rude and speeding off with Lunara hot on their heels on Fenrir.

When they reached Seventh Heaven Reno and Rude brought the unconscious Tifa and Cloud up to the kid's room where they proceeded to lay them on the beds to rest. Reno sighed and shook his arms after setting Cloud down with Lunara's help. "So, now what?" he asked impatiently.

"We wait for them to wake up," she said calmly before moving into the bathroom and coming back out with two cold wet cloths. She then placed both cloths on her friend's heads to ease the pain of a head ache when they woke up.

"So, how do you know Spiky and Tif?" asked Reno curiously as Rude excused himself to get a glass of water.

"Cloud is an old friend. Tifa and I met a few months ago," Lunara replied nonchalantly with a shrug as she dabbed the cold cloth around Cloud's sweating face. That Stigma attack must have been good if it knocked him out for this long.

"Old friend? Meaning you guys used to date or something?"

Lunara snorted. "Definitely not. I suppose you could say that we used to work together," she said slowly before turning her head towards Reno. It kind of unnerved the Turk how he couldn't see her eyes, but he guessed she wore the blindfold because she couldn't see. But when he processed her last statement, his fiery eyebrows narrowed.

"Worked together?" he asked confused.

Lunara chuckled good-naturedly. "I'm surprised, Reno. How could you forget the girl that turned you down flat every day for a month straight," she smirked and turned completely to face him with a hand on her hip. "Although I shouldn't blame you. It has been eight or so years."

Reno blinked in confusion multiple times before his eyes widened in shock as he looked Lunara over again. He groaned and put his hands over his eyes. "Oh, hell no. I'm not seeing this. I'm not seeing this," he repeated to himself behind his hands.

"Think what you want, Reno. I'm not about to disappear," she chuckled as she turned the cloth on Cloud's forehead over. Reno spread his fingers and looked between them at the woman again.

"Luna…" he breathed in awe. "You're supposed to be… Supposed to be…"

"Locked in some Chryochamber in the cave of a mountain where no one can find me?" she supplied distastefully. Reno winced and rubbed the back of his head nervously just as Rude walked back in with his glass of water.

"Um, yeah. If you want to put it like that, yo," he mumbled quietly.

Lunara nodded and grimaced slightly. "Yeah, well, I got out and there's no way in hell anyone's putting me back in," she growled.

"The president won't be too happy about this," whispered Rude to Reno quietly already knowing what the conversation was about, considering he had heard most of it from down the hall. Reno smacked his arm and put his finger to his lips, but it was too late.

"The President? He's still alive?" she asked.

"Uh, no. I mean yes. I mean, uh, yeah… Well, Rufus, his son is anyway…" Reno sighed. Lunara's eyes narrowed again under her blindfold and she took a step towards Reno threateningly.

"Be careful that you don't tell me where he is, Reno. I don't know where you're allegiance truly is, but I can tell you that if I ever came close enough to that bastard, his head will be skewered on my sword and his body will be fed to Shadow Creatures. Do I make myself clear?" she growled lowly, her teeth bared dangerously.

Reno nodded instantly. He knew what Lunara was capable of. She was a First Class SOLDIER and almost as good as Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis themselves. He didn't want to mess with that unless he had to, so he would make sure not to spill the beans. "Clear as crystal," he choked out.

"Good because I don't want to kill you either. I'd hate to kill someone I once called my friend," she sneered before moving past both men to go to the bar for a drink.

As she left, Reno let out a sigh of relief and Rude glanced through the door at Lunara's retreating back with a brow raised over his dark sunglasses. "You knew that psychopath?"

Reno nodded. "What's worse is that I wanted to date that psychopath," he shivered.

The conversation stopped there and the two waited for the two on the bed to wake up to tell them what they knew.


	7. VII The Big Bad

That night, Cloud finally woke up. Rude, Reno and Lunara had been sitting in silence for hours throughout the afternoon waiting for one of them to wake but in the evening, when the light of sundown shone through the window, Cloud's eyes fluttered open and he groaned slightly in pain. Lunara guessed from the headache he had. She had taken the wet cloths away some hours ago because they were no longer cold enough to do anything. Cloud looked to his right when he realized he was lying on a bed and found Tifa lying on another and he discovered they were in the kid's room. Sitting up, Cloud stood quickly to look down at his unconscious friend sadly. Tifa had been attacked. No doubt by one of the three silver haired men and it was all his fault.

"You know, you're pretty heavy," commented Reno after a few moments causing Cloud to turn around in surprise. Reno and his partner stood on either side of the door watching Cloud while Lunara sat in a chair by a small desk at the other end of the room.

"Weren't there kids living with you?" accused Rude when Cloud didn't say anything.

"Because they ain't here," added Reno. Cloud still didn't respond and looked to the floor sadly.

"You don't care?" said Rude again.

"Enough," cut in Lunara and all attention was drawn to her. Cloud appreciated her standing up for him, but he still felt like shit. He couldn't help the kids. He stayed away to protect them and Tifa and because of it they were still hurt.

"I just…" Cloud started slowly then looked to Tifa who still lay unconscious on the bed, guilt still gnawing at him. When Cloud didn't say anything more after a few seconds, Reno let out a frustrated sigh.

"You're a real handful," he said before he and Rude left through the door, slamming it behind them. They had told Lunara that they'd ask around to see if anyone knew where the kids were and that they'd be back as soon as they found something. They wanted to wait until Cloud woke up first to give them a piece of their mind though.

There was silence as Cloud continued to stare at the ground and Lunara sat in the chair, her head turned towards him watching him closely. Neither said anything until Lunara sighed. "None of this is your fault, Cloud," she said softly.

"Yes, it is. I couldn't protect them. I still can't," he mumbled miserably looking over at the bartender again. Standing, Lunara made her way over to Cloud and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing you could have done. If you were out looking for me or out on deliveries, they still would have found them regardless," she said.

Cloud didn't respond and as the last rays of sunshine fell, the ex-guard went and sat by the window to wait for his friend to wake. With a disappointed sigh, Lunara left the room to sit at the bar. Maybe Reno and Rude would come back with some information, or Cloud would want to talk later. For now, he needed time to himself and when Tifa wakes up, she might be able to knock some sense into that thick skull of his.

When Reno and Rude returned it was well into the night and Lunara sat bored at the bar, but as soon as they burst in the door saying they had news, she went with them up to where Cloud and Tifa were. Carefully, they opened the door to not disturb the conversation they heard behind it just in time to hear Tifa say something that normally would have put a smile on Lunara's lips.

"Dilly-dally, shilly-shally…" she said. The odd choice of gibberish that came from her forced Cloud to blink and look at her slowly, but he didn't respond.

"Dilly-dally, shilly-shally," she said with more frustration.

Deciding he couldn't wait any longer, Reno spoke up. "I think she wants you to move on, man," he said in a bored voice with his arms crossed over his chest. Cloud and Tifa spun around to look at them, Tifa gasping slightly.

"Did you find them?" she asked desperately, her eyes looking over Lunara briefly.

"No. Only a witness," he replied as he stepped closer to the two. "Kadaj's gang took the kids."

Lunara briefly wondered who Kadaj was, but figured it was one of the three silver haired men, probably the leader. What would they need Marlene and Denzel for? Probably leverage for Cloud to come after them. But why would they want Cloud to come get them if he is the only one that could defeat Sephiroth?

"Where are they?" asked the blonde.

"They're at their base now. The Forgotten City," Rude replied.

Cloud didn't say anything for a moment as he thought. "Go," he said to them. No one said anything as they all looked at Cloud in surprise. He wasn't going to go after the kids? Lunara was about to protest when he stood and turned to them. "I have to talk to Rufus."

"Stop running!" shouted Tifa in annoyance. "I know. Even if you find the kids, you might not be able to help them. Maybe something with will happen that can never unhappen. That scares, doesn't it?" Cloud didn't answer even as Reno and Rude argued quietly at the door, smacking each other's arms.

"But you need to think about it now. Really take it in. Look at you; you think you've got it so damn hard! Look at Luna. She's the one that's been locked in some cave for eight years! And you hate being alone, so let people in. Sure you might not answer the phone, but I don't see you throwing it away either!" When she was done, Cloud still said nothing and Reno and Rude were done fighting.

"You go. The base is all yours," said Reno and the Turks left. Lunara still stood by the doorway, only nodding briefly to the two men as they left before turning her full attention to her friends. The blonde still said nothing, but Tifa had calmed down.

"Which is it?" she asked softly, almost sadly. "A memory or us?"

Cloud had a habit of not answering questions. Sighing, Lunara stood and made her way over to her friends who looked at her as if it was the first time they noticed her. "I would hate to interrupt, but, Cloud, you have kids to save," she said lowly and as softly as she could. Cloud blinked at her before nodding and leaving the room to do just that without a word.

Turning to Tifa, Lunara smiled slightly at the woman who returned the gesture unsurely. "Hey," she mumbled.

"Hey," the ex-SOLDIER replied.

"Where were you all this time?" she asked, her voice still soft.

"Midgar. Trying to dig up some answers," she said. When the bartender looked at her expectantly Lunara sighed. "I didn't find anything."

"Then why didn't you come back?"

"I thought it unnecessary," she shrugged.

"Unnecessary? Bullshit! We were worried sick about you two," Tifa suddenly shouted.

"Tifa, please-"

"I don't want to hear excuses! But since you're back and alright, I guess I have no reason to be mad," she pouted.

Lunara's lips twitched slightly in a smile as she sat on the bed next to Tifa. "I won't be staying long. I can feel his resurrection coming, I can't stay for that; it's too dangerous. And when this fight is over I'm leaving for good," she said calmly.

"No, Luna, you can't. Stay, we might need your help," Tifa pleaded.

Sighing, the older woman nodded hesitantly. "Fine, I will stay for as long as you need me, but I cannot promise that something might not go wrong."

Smiling slightly, Tifa put a hand on her friend's arm comfortingly. "That's all I can ask for. Thank you."

It wasn't long before the sun came up and Cloud wasn't back yet which made Tifa nervous. The younger woman paced the small room occasionally picking up photos or drawings and letting a tear slip before she brushed it away. Lunara still sat on the bed, her head turned towards the window watching the sunrise, contemplating the consequences if she were to stay.

If he was resurrected, she would have the dying urge to go to him and if she gave in, he'd manipulate her to his cause. She couldn't let that happen. As much as she trusted her abilities in self control, she believed her love for Sephiroth, crazy or not, was stronger and he could use that to his advantage, turning her on her friends. That was another thing too; he'd be angry that she sided with the people that led to his destruction in the first place and might just kill her out of anger.

If she let it go that far, she might be able to convince him to come back to the light. There was still some sanity in him, she knew that. When he came back and found her chamber and when he spoke to her as if she couldn't hear, she could find the doubts of Jenova's plans that she planted in his head. He had told her multiple times that he didn't want to destroy the planet and innocent people he once fought to protect, but then his eyes would go dim and he'd start ranting on how they deserved it. He was an Ancient, betrayed by the people of this world and how he would return the favor.

Sighing, Lunara pinched the bridge of her nose as she was beginning to get a headache. She had to stop thinking about what had happened and what could happen. She had to focus on the safety of the kids and on the strength that Cloud had to have to make it through this. He may not believe it, but she knew that when it came down to it, he would win.

Suddenly her train of thought was broken as a quiet roar emitted from outside. Standing, she went to the window, ignoring Tifa's pacing, and stood beside it to look. People were yelling and running quickly down the concrete of the streets and sidewalks, towards the city square. "Tifa, come here" she said suddenly.

Stopping her pacing, Tifa noticed the older woman by the window and made her way over to look out. Seeing the many people hysterical in the streets, she frowned and looked towards the middle of the city where she heard more shouts. "What's going on?"

Immediately, Lunara turned and stalked out of the room, down the hall and the stairs with Tifa hot on her heals. When they burst onto the street from the building Tifa started asking questions. Stepping up to a random passerby she grabbed his arm. "Excuse me, could you tell me what's going on?"

"The kids that were taken have all come back, they're in the square," he said hurriedly before running off in that direction. Tifa looked at Lunara with apprehension and the woman felt a disturbing chill run up her spine.

"Something's not right. Let's go," she said before the two bolted off to the square. Tifa was calling Denzel's name, trying to be heard over the shouts of the crowd they ran into, but it soon began to thin out as Shadow Creatures leaped from the ground and the crowd's yells of fury turned into screams of pain and fear. Lunara turned to Tifa as she unsheathed her sword. "Go find the kids!"

Nodding, Tifa ran to where a ring of children stood around the Edge monument. Hacking at the creatures, Lunara noticed Reno and Rude not too far off to the side, making their way over to two of the three silver haired men she recognized from when she was freed from her Chryochamber. She wanted to run over with them to confront them, but the Shadow Creatures were too many and innocent people were being hurt, so she fought her way through the seemingly endless horde to Tifa where she was trying to get a young boy out of some sort of trance.

Suddenly lightning struck from high in the cloudy sky, followed shortly by a tremendous roar. Lunara paused after dispatching a Shadow Creature and turned her head to the sky to see another monster, much larger and uglier, form from the stormy clouds. Gasping, she realized it was a Bahamut summon; a creature with no real origin, but strong and deadly.

She must have stared too long because suddenly she found herself on the ground, a Shadow Creature on her back and screeching its piercing roar. Gasping for the air that left her lungs at the impact she made with the ground, Lunara stretched out for her sword that had fallen from her hands and was just out of her reach. The claws of the Shadow Creature dug into her back and it screeched again, rearing its hideous head. Using it as a distraction, she swung her fist behind her and it collided with the beast's head, sending it stumbling from her back. As quick as she could, she leaped at her sword and promptly rolled over as the Creature came at her again, impaling itself on her weapon and instantly turning to smoke.

Jumping back up, she looked for Tifa only to find a Shadow Creature leaping for her and the woman herself turning to strike it, but just as there was about to be contact, Bahamut's foot came down, crushing the beast and causing Tifa to stumble back in shock. Bahamut shrieked, the sound causing a ringing in Lunara's ear, and Tifa covered the boy, Denzel, protectively.

"Tifa!" Lunara cried out in concern, but the woman ducked with the boy as the beast flapped its enormous wings, lifting off the ground then promptly landing on top of the city monument. The crowd had definitely thinned, most of them running to their homes for safety, but the rest fled when Bahamut began tearing at the structure. Rushing over to Tifa and the boy she dove over them as Bahamut took to the air again.

"Get down!" she shouted just as a blue ball of fire shot from the Creature's mouth and into the monument causing a wave that knocked everyone in a one mile radius over. Lunara had succeeded in reaching Tifa and Denzel, but the impact immediately tossed her away several feet. Burning rock and metal littered the area and Lunara felt a pain in her back. Reaching behind her she found her coat had an enormous rip in the side and a hunk of metal stuck out of her back just to the left of her spine. With a hiss of pain, she yanked the offending object out of her and angrily tossed it to the side, ignoring the burning in her hand from the sizzling metal.

Standing, she immediately raced back over to Tifa and Denzel who had been knocked out from the blast. Kneeling beside her friend she shook her shoulder. "Tifa! Tifa, you have to wake up!" she yelled over the commotion. Tifa didn't wake up, but Denzel did and when he moved, the woman rolled off him and on her side.

"Tifa?" the boy asked in confusion, ignoring Lunara's presence. Bahamut shrieked again and it drew his attention, anger suddenly coming over his features. Glaring at the creature, the boy began to stand. "You son of a bitch!"

Lunara went to grab for Denzel, but the boy was already bolting in the monster's direction. Panic overcame her slightly and she shook Tifa's arm again. "Damn it, Tifa! Wake up!"

Immediately, the woman's eyes shot open and she sat up just in time to see a large dark skinned man land next to Denzel when he became dangerously close to Bahamut. Laying his mechanical hand on his shoulder to stop him, the boy looked at him with surprise and didn't move another step even as the man's hand lifted and formed into a triple barreled gun. He shot at the monster and it let out another tremendous roar.

"You take care of mom," he ordered to the boy just as Tifa and Lunara approached.

"Barret!" Tifa cried in surprise and the man turned to her with a slight glare.

"Marlene better be safe, huh?" he growled before running off towards the monster, quickly followed by a red dog-like creature with a cat that had a crown on its head. The dog jumped and the man shot while emitting a yell as if it would help his aim. Bahamut took to the air once again with a shriek then dove at the man, Barret, who ducked just in time.

The red creature was still on top of the monster and it flew high before knocking it off its back, the cat yelping in surprise. The dog landed on the ground and Bahamut cried out again before the dog attacked, knocking it slightly to the side.

As the red creature leaped onto its back again, the creature set its sights on Barret whose gun had just ran out of ammo. The man's eyes grew wide as the monster approached, but before it could reach him entirely a giant shuriken came out of nowhere and struck the beast's head with a clang before retreating to land in the hands of a black haired girl who floated from the sky by parachute. When she landed by the two women who stood by Denzel, the parachute covered her and she threw it off with a giggle before gagging slightly. Regaining her composure, she turned to the small group.

"Alright, whose been touching my materia?" she asked.

With a warm smile, Tifa shrugged. "The bad guys, naturally."

The girl huffed in annoyance and anger before running into the fray, her weapon held up threateningly. "Who's that?" asked Denzel curiously as he looked up at Tifa. The woman only smiled slightly and didn't answer, however just as the question left his lips, Shadow Creatures suddenly sprung up around them and she covered the boy while Lunara raised her sword to slash at them.

But just as one of the creatures were about to come into contact with her sword a wooden lance suddenly struck down on it and an older blonde man with a cigarette between his teeth landed in front of them and fended off the monsters. Twirling his lance above his head with a triumphant yell he grinned at the group and brushed a thumb over his nose.

"Ain't she a 'beaut," he stated and gestured up to the ship the fighters had leaped from. "My _Shera_, the latest model." Laughing, the man turned back to the fight enthusiastically. "I'll give you the good tour afterwards."

Smiling slightly Lunara almost missed the man that walked passed her slowly. "Where can I buy a phone?" he said darkly, his voice rough yet calm. His red cape billowed behind him slightly as he passed and he didn't bother to look at any of them as he too joined the fight, raising a triple barreled handgun.

"Who's he?" asked Denzel in awe. Again, Tifa smiled at the boy.

"They're our friends," she giggled and the boy gave her an astonished look as she turned back to watch them. Chuckling from beside her, Lunara placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and she looked at her.

"I believe I will pitch in my own skills," she said dryly, holding up her sword for emphasis. Tifa nodded and the boy only looked at her with curiosity. Had she not been wearing her blindfold, Lunara would have winked at him playfully. Bolting off with the others, she raised her sword and leaped onto the beast's back, beginning to hack at the thick armor.


	8. VIII His Return

Lunara sat on the edge of Sephiroth's bed, holding her arm that was cut up almost to shreds by the monster she had just faced in the training room. They had been practicing when he distracted her by winking at her suggestively after a rather crude comment. She had turned to gawk at him in shock and thus had been distracted enough for the monster to take his sharp claws and run its razor edges down her arm. When she had cried out in pain and fallen to the floor, Sephiroth had lost all humor and quickly dispatched the creature before going over to her.

She refused to go to the healing quarters, so he opted to taking her back to his room where he himself could take care of her. Both of them hated the idea of doctors for obvious reasons, but Sephiroth knew some things about emergency fixes, being General and as soon as they reached his quarters, Lunara in his arms, he had placed her on the bed with a towel to slow the bleeding as he went to get the first aid kit.

When he returned, he gently peeled the towel away to reveal the extent of her wounds. Luckily for her, the cuts didn't pierce muscle, but they were deep enough to hurt like a son of a bitch. Reaching into the kit, he pulled out a vile of green liquid and handed it to her. Eagerly, she gulped down the small amount of potion and the bleeding stopped. Sephiroth then proceeded to clean her wounds as gently as possible and bandage them. Throughout the process, Lunara hissed in pain and clenched her fist, but made no moves to pull away or make any other sign of weakness.

When he was finished, the tall and stoic SOLDIER General leaned down and placed gentle kisses over the bandages where the wounds ran down her forearm. When he was done with that he sat on the bed next to her and gently cradled her injured arm in his one hand as she rested her head on his shoulder. His other hand came up to smooth her hair soothingly as the hand from her uninjured arm came around to hold his as it cradled her bandaged arm.

"Thank you," she whispered softly and almost too quiet for him to hear. She didn't feel him make any acknowledgement of her praise for a moment then he sighed quietly.

"You're welcome, Ara," he replied before tilting his head to place a kiss on her hairline affectionately.

"Watch out!"

The shout came almost too late, but Lunara quickly snapped to attention and dodged the swing Bahamut's wing made. After the attack passed she jumped on its back and buried her sword to the hilt in its back. The creature shrieked in pain and anger and spun around, tossing her off its back to land on a metal bar harshly. Sneering slightly, she leaped back onto it to retrieve her sword before jumping back off to dodge another blow.

Flipping onto another bar, she watched the man in red shoot his gun at the creature, pissing it off even more. Even with the six of them repeatedly pelting Bahamut with lethal attacks, the creature still didn't slow down and only seemed to get angrier with every blow. Their attacks were like mosquito bites; annoying and held little damage.

Suddenly, Barret was dropped on the bar next to her and something flew past her to land on a bar up higher. Looking, Lunara smiled when she saw Cloud, a determined light shining in his eye. His buster sword was held in his hand tightly and he rolled his shoulders slightly.

"Where the hell have you been?" shouted Barret from beside her, but the blonde ignored him. On another bar higher above that held the red caped man and the ninja girl, landed Tifa, a determined look of her own on her features.

Cloud leaped from the bar then, a sword in each hand and struck at Bahamut repeatedly, only to have the creature parry each attack. Cloud attacked again and again, soon gaining the upper hand as he sent the creature hurtling toward the ground. Landing on a high bar, Cloud and the rest of the fighters watched as the Creature let out a shriek of anger and took to the air with a ball of blue fire forming between it monstrous teeth.

The beast flew quickly and higher and Cloud leaped after it, but it wasn't enough. Grabbing his hand, Barret hauled him up to go faster. "Alley-oop!" he cried then laughed as Cloud shot into the air. Lunara jumped quickly to a higher bar so that when he came to her, she'd be able to do the same.

But Cloud reached the creature only to be kicked down. Fortunately, the older blonde man was there and he stuck out his lance for Cloud to land on, letting out a grunt as he flung him back into the air. The red creature and the cat jumped out next, clamping its teeth onto Cloud's back and flinging him farther. The ninja girl did the same then Lunara leaped out and grinned cheekily at her old friend before using all her strength to push him faster. Putting the rest of his sword together, Cloud then reached out to the red caped man and he shot him higher then at the very top of the building came Tifa was the last one to send Cloud above the structure and after the monstrous creature.

With the speed he had gained, a blue light formed around Cloud as he shot towards Bahamut, his sword at the ready. The beast let out the ball of blue fire it had been gathering and the giant ball raced towards Cloud just as quickly. Above her, Lunara spotted Tifa land and watch with everyone else in anticipation as Cloud entered the burning ball with bated breaths.

There was a collective sigh of relief when Cloud came out the other end, the light of the fire attached to his sword as he dug it into Bahamut's back and dragged it up its length. Cloud remained in the air while the creature was engulfed in its own flame and fell from the sky in cries of agony. It landed among the fighters how let out their cheers of victory, only a few staying silent. Tifa watched as Cloud fell from the sky, doing a series of flips before landing in a crouch on a high bar.

A light from a building not too far away caught everyone's attention then and a cry of anger and sorrow echoed to their ears. Cloud immediately leaped off his beam and back to the ground where he proceeded to mount his bike and race in the direction where a building was now aflame. His friends were about to follow when the older blonde man yelled at them.

"We'll follow 'em on _Shera_! Let's go!" He waved his hand in gesture before leaping off this beam towards his ship still hovering in the air above the square. No one protested and easily followed the man to the air ship. As soon as everyone was aboard, the blonde took to the wheel and they were hurtling toward the action.

"Watch it, old man!" shouted the young ninja angrily as she searched through a box of materia.

"Stop your complainin', woman," the man grumbled back.

Tifa approached Lunara as soon as the woman found a comfortable spot in a corner where she had only a slight view out the large window and where she would hardly be noticed by the others. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Lunara raised an eyebrow over her blindfold. "Although I'm flattered by your concern, Tifa, I don't think it should be me you're worried about," she responded coolly and nodded her head in gesture to her friends and the men they currently chased on motorcycles.

Tifa nodded, but was stopped from saying anything more when the blonde man suddenly shouted again. "Hey! You! Who are you and what do you have to do with this?"

Both dark haired women turned their attention to the older man, but she didn't respond to his question. All eyes were on her expectantly, but she didn't think now would be a good time to relay her story. Besides, she highly doubted the rest of them would be as understanding as Cloud and Tifa had been when she told them.

"This is Lunara. She's an old friend of Cloud's," Tifa said slowly after Lunara didn't say anything. The group watched her curiously and suspiciously, but no one made further comments until the ninja finally skipped over to scrutinize her.

"An old friend? You mean, like, from Nibelheim?" he asked. Tifa merely shook her head, but Lunara made no move to answer her either. She really didn't feel like going through the whole story, especially when they were short on time. Tifa could tell them later when everything would be over and she would be gone, that way, if they were angry, they wouldn't be able to find her.

"Anyway, Luna, this is Yuffie, that's Red XIII or Nanaki, the cat on his head is Cait Sith, that over there is Vincent, he's Barret and the pilot is Cid," said Tifa, pointing to each of her friends as she said their names, each giving their own response of greeting. Lunara nodded to them, but still said nothing as they continued to chase Cloud and Kadaj all the way to Midgar.

They soon lost track of the rivals when Cloud entered a tunnel followed by the remaining two silver haired men and tall buildings prevented Cid's ship from going a certain way. Cursing, the man steered away to find another way around, but it was minutes before they actually found Cloud again. By that time, everyone looked out the window with bated breaths. Even Lunara had come from out of the corner to see the action. She didn't want to watch because she knew she'd probably end up doing something she'd later regret, but she couldn't help it as her concern for Cloud overcame her.

"Cloud, I brought the materia," called Yuffie as if he could hear her. Then she stumbled as the ship rocked slightly. "Whoa! Watch it!" she yelled back at the captain.

"Yo, Cid! Park this turkey!" shouted Barret. The men had been bantering about landing so they could help, but Cid refused to put his baby down.

"Shut up!" the pilot shot back in annoyance. "You want off then jump. Get off my back."

Leaning against the wall, Vincent suddenly cut into the argument. "He can handle this alone," he said in his gravely voice. Lunara tilted her head to look at the man, but his eyes stayed glued on the fight outside.

"Huh?" inquired Yuffie.

"Kadaj is a remnant of Sephiroth," Vincent explained coolly and Lunara felt her back stiffen. She now understood how the three men had known where to find her. They were all parts of Sephiroth's soul and body; they had his memories, his instincts, his aspirations. "Think of his as sort of a larval form."

"Larva?" shouted the ninja with a hint of disgust. "You mean, he's an insect?"

"Lassie, shut yer gob," exclaimed Cait Sith in annoyance from atop Red's head.

"So, the punk's gonna become Sephiroth?" confirmed Cid from the wheel with a sigh as he looked over to Vincent.

"Vincent, does Cloud know about Kadaj?" asked Tifa calmly, turning away from the window to look at her friend. Next to her Lunara looked out the window, her eyes trained on Kadaj. How easy was it for him to become her old lover? The box he held under his arm had to hold something of Jenova or else the transformation wouldn't work.

"One would think," replied Vincent.

"Then you're right. It's his fight now," she said turning back to the window. Lunara felt a pain in her chest then, Cloud was going to kill Sephiroth again, but this time she was going to be forced to witness it.

"What? I don't get it. Why can't we help out?" cried Yuffie in annoyance, still hugging the orbs of materia to herself.

"This is man talk," responded Cid.

"Sexist!" she accused. "Sexist!"

"Wheest, Lassie, shut yer boot!"

"Men don't get it either," interrupted Barret, turning back to the fight, a frown marring his face.

"Two years ago…" said Tifa suddenly drawing everyone's attention. "Think of the strength we all had when we fought that last battle. It's only been a couple years, but already that feeling is gone." Lunara watched the woman next to her silently as she continued. "But Cloud… I think he's found it again."

Scoffing slightly, Barret grumbled, "He's got ten minutes." Lunara cold tell that he wasn't a man that liked being kept out of a battle.

"That Cloud is a royal pain in the ass," sneered Yuffie, casting Tifa a sideways glance. "Like always."

The bartender smiled slightly and shrugged. "Cloud is Cloud," she said.

Pulling away from the fight, Cid brought the ship higher and the pain in Lunara's chest grew stronger; strong enough to cause her to gasp softly and clutch at it. Beside her, Tifa's warm eyes suddenly turned worried and she turned to the other woman. Placing a hand on her arm, Lunara looked up at her, her lips twisted in barely contained agony.

"Luna, are you alright?" she asked.

"I need to get off this ship," she choked out then gasped again. Without another word, she pulled away from Tifa and bolted for the door of the ship.

"Luna!" the younger woman called after her, but she didn't stop. The attention of the rest of the group was drawn to her, but she paid them no heed. They called out to her, telling her to stop, but she pulled the latch open and jumped out before they could stop her.

From the extreme height, Lunara had to do a series of flips to maintain balance before she hit the roof of a building. Landing hard on her side, she cried out in pain as the wound there flared angrily. After a few moments of rolling she finally stopped and looked over to find Kadaj hanging from a ledge with Cloud's sword tip pointed threateningly at him.

Gasping, she sat up on her knees and watched as Kadaj threw the box in the air, causing Cloud to slash at in and break it open. Jumping off from the edge, Kadaj caught the box and pulled out the object from inside, clutching it to his chest. Beneath her blindfold, Lunara's eyes grew wide as she witnessed the thing being absorbed into him and he let out a cry of pain and Cloud jumped off after him in hopes of stopping the inevitable.

"No…" she breathed as the thing completely entered the remnant's chest and he landed gracefully on a lower building. Bringing up his sword, Cloud went to strike, but the man held up his hands and a bright flash emitted from them and quickly disappearing. Lunara gasped again when the remnant's form was replaced with that of an old friend and lover.

Sephiroth's hair blew out behind him from the blast of the contact between masamune, which had suddenly appeared in his hands, and Cloud's buster blade. The blonde gasped at the sight of his old foe, but the silver haired ex-General only smirked at him.

In a flash Sephiroth shot Cloud away from him and onto a high building only to jump gracefully right after and land only yards away on a slightly higher ledge. "Your Geostigma is gone? That's too bad…" he tsked smoothly.

Only mere feet away, Lunara crouched with her eyes trained on Sephiroth. He looked exactly how she remembered him. Long, dazzling hair, firm muscular build and eyes that sent her multiple times into a daze. He didn't seem to notice her as he spoke to Cloud.

"Sephiroth," scorned Cloud as if the name burned him just to say it. "What do you want?"

"The last thoughts of Geostigma's dead. Those remnants will join the Lifestream and girdle the planet… choking it… corroding it…" He smiled down at Cloud. "What I want, Cloud… is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel… Just as my mother did long ago."

Raising a hand towards the already cloudy sky it suddenly became darker, the little sunshine that once shone between the clouds disappearing instantly. They swirled above them angrily, thunder erupting from their dark depths. Cloud lifted his sword readily.

"Then one day we'll find a new planet… and on its soil we'll create a shining future," Sephiroth continued.

"What about this planet?" growled Cloud.

"Well, that's up to you, Cloud," chuckled the silver haired nightmare. Behind him, Lunara finally stood and raced toward her old lover just as Cloud began to come at him, sword raised.

"No!" she yelled, causing Sephiroth to pause and turn to her quickly, recognizing her voice, but Cloud still advanced. At the last moment, she leaped in front of the tall man and unsheathed her sword, raising it to block the attack. A loud clang echoed around them and Cloud only had enough time to register his shock before she forced him away from them with a cry.

The blonde fell back several feet, but regained his balance and looked at his old friend in astonishment. The woman breathed heavily, the pain in her side flaring again before holding up her sword in front of her. "You will come no closer," she called out to him, her voice dangerously low.

"Luna! What are you doing?" he shouted at her, but didn't move.

Her expression suddenly softened and she looked at Cloud sadly, her hand dropping to her side with her sword still clutched in her palm. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I… I can't let you kill him," she said, her voice going quiet.

"… Ara?"

Turning slowly, Lunara came face to face with her lover and tears immediately erupted from her eyes, her blindfold instantly soaking them up. The man looked at her in utter shock and disbelief with an undertone of sadness as his leather clad hand came up to caress her cheek. Leaning into his touch she lifted a hand to hold his there almost afraid that the feeling would disappear in a second.

"Hello, Seph…" she choked out. She saw his brows furrow confusedly and above him, the clouds began to return to their normal shade and sunlight once again shone through them.

Suddenly his lips were on hers in a passionate kiss which she eagerly returned. Their tongues danced as her arms moved around his shoulders and his came to circle her waist. They held each other firmly, afraid to let go; afraid that as soon as they parted, they'd be ripped away from each other again. When the kiss finally ended, they still held each other close and touched foreheads.

"I missed you so much," she whispered brokenly, giving him another peck before they pulled away more to study each other.

"I thought you were dead," he replied, one hand lifting to brush a strand of her dark hair away from her face before promptly pulling off her blindfold. Instantly, matching emerald eyes met and although hers had a blank, glazed over look she still stared hard at him, determined to memorize his features. She couldn't see him as clearly as she could moments ago, but she knew he was there; she could feel him holding her.

"As you can see, I'm far from it," she laughed softly, her voice still choked and tears still falling from her eyes. Brushing her tears away, he kissed her slowly again before they could hear Cloud clearing his throat behind them. Parting, the couple looked over at him where he stood tense and ready for a fight.

"Luna… Get back," he ordered and she felt Sephiroth's arms tighten around her.

"I'm sorry, Cloud…" she responded softly, her voice sad.

"Luna, you know what I have to do. He will kill innocent people and he will destroy this planet," urged Cloud, but before she could say anything back, Sephiroth released her and stepped in front of her, his eyes cold once again as he looked the ex-Guard over.

"Perhaps we can come to an agreement," he suggested.

"I'm not about to trust you," replied Cloud lowly, his voice dangerous.

"You will have to," growled the General in return. Lunara watched as the men proceeded to have a glaring match, neither letting down their guard. She didn't know what kind of deal Sephiroth had in mind, but she was sure he wouldn't halt his attempts at destroying the planet. Although he seemed perfectly sane, his thoughts were bent and corrupted and she couldn't possibly imagine what he wanted more than to see the destruction of the world.


	9. IX Happy Endings

"I will stop this tirade of mine and hand over the Meteor summon. The planet will be safe and no more innocent blood by my hands will be spilled. Life will remain as it is, quiet and peaceful and I will no longer threaten the existence of anything other than fiends."

Sephiroth's words pierced through Lunara as if she had been hit by a ton of bricks. He would give up everything he had been so set on, had died for, so easily? And for what? He had not named his terms as of yet and it seemed as if Cloud wasn't buying his word. If the skeptical gaze he kept on his old hero wasn't enough to portray that fact then his buster blade that was still held at the ready did. Her back was stiff as she watched the glaring match between the men and she was ready to take the plunge if Cloud decided to attack. The rest of Cloud's friends had undoubtedly seen the delay from above and were probably about to jump from Cid's ship at any moment.

"And what would you want in return," asked Cloud slowly, still unsure.

Sephiroth reached behind him and grasped Lunara's arm gently, pulling her to his side where she easily wrapped her arms around his waist while his one circled her shoulder in a protective manner. She looked up upon feeling his eyes on her and although his image was blurry, she knew his expression was soft, if not a little pained. His other hand came around her caress her cheek and she smiled at him. He didn't look away from her as he spoke to Cloud.

"I want freedom. I don't ever want to be bothered by you, your friends or Shinra ever again. I will not be held accountable for my actions and I will be left in peace," he finally said then turned to see Cloud's expression. The ex-guard still looked unsure and he said nothing for a while. Lunara tilted her head to watch Cloud's reaction and pleaded silently with him to agree. She couldn't speak on behalf of Sephiroth, but she knew that he would never go against his word, whether he was insane or not; his principles and sense of honor were still with him.

"I can't agree to something like that on my own," Cloud responded after a long pause. Sephiroth glowered at him, his expression dark and Lunara could feel her heart racing in her chest. If Cloud didn't agree to Sephiroth's terms then people would die, the planet would die or, even worse, Sephiroth himself would die. She didn't want to see either happen. She couldn't bear it.

Her arms tightened around Sephiroth's waist protectively and she felt his arm around her shoulders do the same. "Please, Cloud…" she begged in a whisper and the blonde's eyes were drawn to her. The distrust in them slowly faded to pity by just seeing the look of fear and helplessness in her blank stare. She didn't want to see the destruction of the planet just as much he did, but she didn't want the man she loved to die either, crazy or not.

Finally, Cloud sighed and lowered his sword, his eyes sad. "Fine, I agree," he said quietly, still unsure if it was the right decision. Lunara felt her heart lift then and had to stop the widest grin she could muster from coming onto her face. She had to keep a sense of calm in this situation. "But if you attack _anyone_ the deal is off," he added at the end, his glare returning.

Sephiroth nodded slowly. "I have one more request, Cloud."

"What is it?" Cloud said slowly, unsure if he would like what Sephiroth wanted. The silver haired angel smiled slowly, his perfect teeth flashing in the dim glow of the sun that still struggled to peek through the clouds. Turning back to Lunara, he brushed his gloved hand over her cheek sending shivers down her spine.

"Lunara comes with me."

Lunara's heart stopped then. He wanted her to come with him? To be with him in exile? A whole new warmth coursed through her body and she wanted to take him right then and there. Maybe all those years he did love her just as much as she loved him. Maybe he had wanted to be by her side until the end, but was unable to with the corruption of Jenova. Lunara couldn't be happier; the man she loved was alive and well and was asking her in his own way to run away with him never to be bothered by any other. If it were possible, her love for him grew.

"Luna? Do you agree to this?" asked Cloud slowly.

Never looking away from Sephiroth she didn't hesitate to answer. "Of course," she said softly, a smile coming to her lips. Sephiroth smiled back and their lips met in a slow and sweet kiss that always made Lunara want to melt into a puddle at his feet. His lips were still soft; still perfect.

Nodding, Cloud looked away awkwardly before waving up at the airship that hovered above them. Practically seconds later, the ship was lowered and his friends dropped down onto the building where they stood, their weapons ready and aimed at Sephiroth who had since separated his lips from his lover's.

"It's alright, guys," said Cloud, gesturing with his hands for them to lower their weapons. "He won't attack us." His voice was still unsure, but he trusted in the fact that Sephiroth would keep to his word.

"Bullshit!" shouted Cid, his lance still raised and pointed at the ex-General.

"Yeah! How do we know he ain't gonna kill us in our sleep, huh?" added Barret.

"Because my word means everything. I never go back on a deal unless my terms are not met," growled Sephiroth, his eyes narrowed in a glare at the group. If any of them tried to attack he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

"Exactly. We have to trust what he says," Cloud assured and after a few more meaningful glances, the men lowered their weapons with grumbles of annoyance.

Lunara knew that they wanted nothing more than to see Sephiroth's death, again, but as long as they stayed true to their word, Sephiroth would stay true to his. She had no doubt about that.

"What are you going to do, Luna?" Tifa suddenly asked, silent until this moment and still casting distrustful glances in the silver haired man's direction.

Lunara smiled. "I'm going with him," she replied.

"What? You can't be serious!" shouted Yuffie in astonishment. Apparently hers and Sephiroth's intimate hold didn't get through to her yet, but Lunara chuckled anyway.

"I am dead serious. Think of it as a way you know that his promises will be kept," she shrugged. Next to her, she felt Sephiroth shift slightly as if surprised at her words, but his face didn't show it. "Although I believe it is very unlikely that he should go against it, you still have my word that he won't."

After a long staring contest between the two lovers and AVALANCH it was time that they went their separate ways. Sephiroth had given the meteor summon materia to Vincent who had nodded and walked away then moved to stand away from the group as Lunara said her farewells to Cloud and Tifa. The bartender hugged her tightly as if afraid to let go, sad that she would most likely never see Lunara again. Cloud had shaken her hand with a nod after Tifa's tears were shed.

"What will you do about the remnants?" Lunara asked after they released hands.

"We will hunt them down. They probably still want the planet destroyed," he replied and Lunara nodded in agreement.

"I will let Sephiroth know. They are a part of him so he should expect to feel some pain I'm guessing."

"Luna, you do know that Kadaj is still inside him right?" Tifa cut in slowly.

"Yes, but technically speaking, Kadaj was a part of Sephiroth. His return most likely canceled him out and so he has no effect. Sephiroth being the dominant one makes him the one in control. So, in essence, Kadaj doesn't exist anymore," Lunara said with a shrug.

"I guess that makes sense," mumbled the younger woman.

Lunara smiled and nodded to her again. "Tell Marlene that I said goodbye."

"I will," she responded, nodding her head back before Lunara turned to go back over to Sephiroth who affectionately wrapped his arms around her and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"You said your farewells?" he asked. She nodded and turned slightly in his arms to wave at the group. They waved back, some a little more reluctant than others causing her to chuckle softly.

Just then, the clouds broke and rain poured down from them. Blinking, Lunara looked up at the still light clouds. The others looked around in confusion as well, but Cloud seemed to be listening to something, his lips moving in quiet mumbles. Beside her, even Sephiroth looked around, his brows furrowed.

"This is not normal rain," he said slowly causing Lunara to look up at him. Her lover looked around even as the AVALANCH group proceeded to run back to Cid's ship for cover from the rain. Only Cloud, Lunara and Sephiroth remained on the building, still confused.

Suddenly the bang of a gun went off and Cloud stumbled forward causing the lovers' attention to snap to him. The blonde fell to his knees in pain, grasping his chest by his left shoulder and gasping. Behind him were the remaining two silver haired men and one had a gun trained on Cloud before it fell to the ground. They seemed to be fading into glowing green particles that flew into the air towards the clouds and getting weaker. Instantly, Sephiroth forced Lunara behind him in protection and Cloud stood angrily and turned towards the two.

"We'll go together," choked out the one with long hair as he stumbled slightly. Next to him, was the big muscular one with short spiked hair and he stumbled as well.

"Together… we'll play," he groaned. Then they raised their arms where different orbs of materia could be seen glowing in their forearms. Lunara gasped softly as they began to glow brighter, the materia combining dangerously. Glaring, Cloud raced towards them with a battle cry and Sephiroth turned and covered his lover's body with his own to protect her from the inevitable blast.

It came all too soon and the explosion knocked them to the ground, Sephiroth's body still covering hers. Lunara hoped desperately that Cloud was alright, but it was unlikely when he had been that close to the blast. When the rocks stopped flying and the dust settled, Lunara looked passed Sephiroth in hopes of finding Cloud.

She spotted her friend face down on the concrete of the building, his sword a few feet away and the remnants nowhere in sight. Sephiroth shifted on top of her and lifted himself on his hands to look down at her, worry creasing his brow. He reached up to gently brush a cut on her cheek that a stray rock had sliced.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling low in his chest.

"I'm fine. I can't say the same for Cloud though," she replied and they both moved to stand. As soon as she was on her feet, Lunara raced towards Cloud and knelt at his side. She rolled him over before placing two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse as his eyes were closed and he didn't seem to be breathing. When she felt no pulse, she began to panic and tears sprung to her eyes again.

_Take him to the Church_…

Lunara looked around, startled, and hardly noticed the rain splashing on her face. Sephiroth came up behind her and didn't say a word or move any closer to his once enemy. Ignoring the feminine voice she had heard she desperately turned back to her friend and began slapping his face repeatedly and shaking his shoulders.

"Wake up, Cloud. Dammit, wake up!" she cried, her voice slightly choked with emotion. Behind her, Sephiroth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she reached up to grasp it when Cloud still made no movement.

_Take him to the church and wait… He will come back…_

Whether or not she was hallucinating that voice, Lunara had to get him to that church, she decided. Just as she heard Cid's airship coming closer again and AVALANCH dropping back on the roof, she stood. Some of them, Tifa especially, were shouting to Cloud in worry and when they reached them, Lunara felt Sephiroth's hands rub her arms soothingly as she gazed down at her friend who lay dead in front of her.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried in worry and fell to his side, beginning to shake him.

"It's no use, Tifa… He's gone…" Lunara said quietly, resting a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "But take him to the church."

"The church? Why the church?" she asked, sniffling.

"I heard a voice. She told me that if we take Cloud back to the church, he'll come back," Lunara replied, her grip on Tifa's shoulder tightening. "Tifa, we have to get him to that church."

The woman nodded and without hesitation, her and her friends gathered Cloud up and got him aboard the ship with Sephiroth and Lunara's word that they would meet them at the church. As soon as the ship took off, Lunara turned in Sephiroth's arms and buried her face into his chest. His hold around her tightened and he rested his chin on the top of her head as she wept softly.

"We should probably get to the church now," said Sephiroth quietly after some moments where he just held her. Lunara nodded wordlessly and hugged him tighter as he spread his one black wing and took flight. In was only a matter of a few short minutes until they reached the dilapidated building and touched down gently.

Sephiroth curled in his wing and it vanished into nothing, leaving the impression that it had never been there and they proceeded where the others had gone inside. Lunara was surprised to see that the bed of flowers that had once been in the middle of the broken floor was now a pool of glistening water, which Vincent and Barret were placing Cloud gently in. When they released him, he didn't sink like he should have and they all watched as he just floated there with still no breath or pulse.

As they approached the group, a few members still cast Sephiroth distrustful glances, but said nothing as they watched Cloud in apprehension. Tifa left after a while to get the kids with Barret as the rest stayed, making short quiet conversations or just watching Cloud float. Two hours passed and people were beginning to come to the church with children that still had the Stigma and Sephiroth and Lunara were forced to leave in case anyone recognized him.

When everyone was inside, Lunara refused to leave completely and stayed outside the doors to watch as children that had already been cured by the rain that had passed waded into the pool to circle Cloud. She waited with bated breath as they rested their small hands on him and though she could hardly see what was going on, she still witnessed Cloud's eyes opening and he stood, blinking in confusion. A rush of happiness flooded through her when she saw Cloud pick up the boy, Denzel, and put him in the water and poured it over his head to cure his Stigma.

Everyone inside cheered happily and many children jumped in the pool after hearing Denzel's cry of joy at being cured. Lunara wanted to be amidst them, laughing in happiness and say goodbye to Marlene herself, but she had to leave now with Sephiroth. They were going into exile together, never to be bothered again by anyone who could tear them apart.

She felt his lips graze her neck tenderly and her skin tingled. "Ready, Ara?" he whispered in her ear as she leaned back against him with a hum.

"More than I'll ever be," she answered and turned around to kiss him before his wing uncurled again to lift them in the air. She held onto him tightly as they flew, his arms around her securely, and she kissed his neck and jaw with a few nips occasionally. She heard him groan at one point and it only pushed her to do it more with a grin.

They touched down somewhere, but Lunara wasn't paying attention to where. She was too busy riling herself up, becoming too engrossed in her kisses. She did however notice her feet touch ground and moved her kissed to his already awaiting lips. He hungrily responded, grasping the back of her head and tilting it to the side so he could kiss her more passionately. She hardly even noticed him pushing her back into a building as she grasped the edges of his leather coat and held him to her.

She was aware, however, when the backs of her knees suddenly hit the edge of something and she fell back only to land on something soft pulling Sephiroth down with her. Their kisses didn't stop even as she shoved his shoulder plates off and onto the floor with a clang followed by his coat. She proceeded to sensually roam her hands over his exposed chest, undoing the buckles of the leather straps across it.

Groaning, he too started to remove her clothing as she moved her kisses to his neck and collar bone. Sephiroth eagerly pulled off their gloves and her jacket and threw them to the floor to join his own things then started to work furiously at her shirt which had buttons that refused to work properly. With a growl he ripped the fabric and tossed it to the floor then easily removed her bra and threw it in some unknown direction.

She pulled her lips away as she felt her bra leave her only to be replaced by his mouth with a moan. He licked, nipped and sucked at her hardened peaks as his hands explored her exposed body causing her to throw her head back with a gasp. It had been so long since Lunara felt him touch her and it was as if it was the first time they made love all over again.

"Sephiroth…" she moaned, her hands gripping the back of his head as he moved to her other breast and his hands moved down to pull at her tight dark jeans. His long silky hair tickled her, but also sent the most delectable sensations through her.

"Tell me, Ara," he said between kisses as he trailed his lips down her flat abdomen. "I want to hear you say it." His hands then quickly removed her boots and began to unzip her jeans. She bit her lip, not wanting to say that she loved him though having the terrible urge to shout it out. She still had doubts that he loved her back.

Then again, he gave up revenge to be with her. He gave up what he had sworn to do just to spend his exile with her. If that wasn't love she didn't know what was. Still, she didn't want to say it unless she could hear the same words come from him.

Removing her jeans, he then hooked his thumbs in the sides of her black underwear and placed his lips firmly on the steadily dampening area where her womanhood lay causing her to gasp again and her back to arch as a wave of pleasure shot through her. He tugged at the fabric with his teeth and licked up the length between her legs and she wanted to cry out in ecstasy, but she bit her lip harder.

"I need to hear you say it, Ara…" he whispered as he came back up to kiss her passionately. She returned the kiss eagerly and lifted a knee to run it along his side, feeling his own excitement growing underneath his leather pants. As he kissed her, he kicked off his boots and removed his pants and since he didn't wear underwear, his manhood was revealed, hard and aching.

His tip pressed familiarly against her folds that were still protected by the thin fabric of her underwear and she moaned loudly against his lips as he groaned. He grasped her underwear tightly and ripped them from her easily, allowing his tip to press gently against her hot center. The sensation caused Lunara's back to arch and she kissed him harder.

Not able to wait any longer, he pushed inside her slowly and they broke their kiss to gasp in pleasure. She lifted her legs to wrap around his waist and meet his slow sensual thrusts as she moaned again, her head rolling back with her eyes closed. Sephiroth brought his hand up to cup her cheek and he kissed her softly.

"Please, Ara. Say it."

"I love you, Sephiroth," she whispered and instantly felt his thrusts become faster and deeper. His lips attacked her ear with small nips that caused her to moan even louder as he grunted and drove into her. With each thrust she let out a small gasp and felt the warmth in her belly growing as her hands gripped his strong shoulders. "Gaia, I love you!"

He groaned loudly as Sephiroth felt his own climax coming. It had been so long since he had her essence wrapped around him and as much as he wanted it to last longer, he knew he was about to release. Besides, now that they were together again, he could have her any time he wanted.

Biting down on her neck he heard as well as felt her climax and it drove him over the edge, sending him into the oblivion of ecstasy as he released inside her with a loud groan and jerking against her. When he was spent, he half collapsed on top of her, his elbows holding him up and kissed her, breathing heavily.

"I love you too, Ara," he whispered between kisses. Lunara wrapped her arms around him and kissed him harder as he fell to lay next to her, her one leg coming to circle his so that his member stayed rested in her core.

When they pulled away from the kiss Lunara finally had a chance to look around where they were. The room was dark, but she could tell there was years of dust lying around. Her nose picked up not only the scent of their love making, but rotting wood and she wrinkled her nose slightly in distaste.

"Where are we, anyway?" she asked him

"Nibelheim," he replied nuzzling her neck.

"Nibelheim?" she said startled and looked only briefly over the dusty old bed they lay on.

"Yes. I plan to go down to the library, pile the books and documents outside and burn them then make the basement into a sort of home for us," he whispered.

Smiling, Lunara gave her lover a kiss which he readily returned. "I love you," she sighed.

"Mmm, I love you too," he mumbled between kisses before beginning to slowly thrust into her again. Lunara grinned; she could definitely get used to his sex drive again.


End file.
